A Charmed Story 14: Ashon: ReEvolution
by crazyDFFgang
Summary: Steve is still missing, and Chris is still in the future. Will they be able to put things right before it is too late? !COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

(Note: Please have a look on our profile!)

* * *

**A Charmed Story - Fourteen:  
Ashon: Re-Evolution (Freaky Friday 2)  
Chapter 1**

_In the future..._  
"Hey I've found it!" Chris exclaimed as he walked from the living room into the dining room. "Here... burdock root was used as well..."  
"Great!" Jim exclaimed with the same excitement, "so let's start brewing then."  
The Elder-witch nodded as he went over to the pile of ingredients they already had gathered. He opened the book where they had marked it earlier and checked which step would be the first one.  
Jim meanwhile lit up the little gas-heater beneath the caldron.  
"Tell me again," the Elder-witch asked, "why are we doing this in the dining room?"  
"Because Aunt Piper occupied the kitchen while, Cole is teaching Matthew how to control his energy balls in the attic and your older self would kill us if we damage the living room," Jim replied with a smirk.  
Chris nodded grinning. "Right... I knew there was a reason..." And at this both started to laugh.  
Then they started the first steps following the recipe. First they put some lavender oil into the caldron, followed by some water and an egg. Then they added all kids of herbs, all the while checking with the book if they were still on the right way.  
"Well if this thing works then..." Jim said.  
But Chris interrupted them: "Then you really have something to be proud of... this will really give us a great advantage." And Jim nodded in agreement.  
Meanwhile on the stairs the older Chris stood, leaning on the banister, watching the scene from the distance.  
"It's a good thing, right?" he suddenly heard a very familiar voice. So he turned around to look directly into Wyatt's eyes who stood right behind him.  
"What do you mean?" he asked.  
"Them," his brother answered gesturing over to Chris and Jim, "it's good for Jim to have a chance to spend time with him. And they really had been doing that a lot in the past week."  
Chris now nodded thoughtful: "You're right. But it was also a nice experience for me... Jim is a good kid. And he dreamt of this chance since the day you came back from the past and told all those nice stories about me."  
"Yeah..." Wyatt grinned, thinking back to that time. Then he went on: "He's a lot like you, you know? Magic is the air he breathes."  
Now Chris smirked: "Yeah..." But then he looked at his brother frowning: "Am I really that bad?"  
"I never said that," Wyatt replied smiling. They both did. And for a while they just looked at each other that way...  
But then Wyatt suddenly turned serious. "I'm sorry," he said.  
Now Chris frowned, looking at the man in front of him. "For what?" he asked.  
"I know you have a reason to act like you do, and I do know that you support me and Julia..." Wyatt replied. His whole appearances now seemed to be sad, but he wasn't done yet. "It's just sometimes hard to remember when you... You know, when you so openly take Michael's side."  
Chris sighed at those words and pulled his brother into a tight hug. "I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to hurt you. But be sure, soon this will all be solved on its own."  
Wyatt separated himself from his brother to look into his eyes. Then he nodded smiling.  
But right the next second the moment was destroyed when they heard something explode in the dining room.  
"Shit!" Wyatt exclaimed and orbed down to see what had happened, Chris following instantly.  
They orbed into the dinning room only to find it filled with smoke. They heard some coughing, and also footsteps coming from the direction of the kitchen.  
"What happened?" Piper asked, even though Wyatt could hardly see her through the smoke. There was a lot of coughing before the smoke cleared enough to see young Chris and Jim standing over a cauldron, covered in whatever they had been brewing.  
"Too much..." Chris started, still coughing and trying to fan the smoke away with a hand. "Too much burdock root." A few more coughs followed. The smoke had finally cleared enough now, for them to see Piper, standing nearby, hands on her hips, shaking her head. She turned around then and went back into the kitchen, since there was no danger.  
"Why didn't you warn them about that?" Wyatt asked the older Chris, crossing his arms in front of his chest.  
"What? Am I supposed to remember every single little detail of what happens to me at any given time?" Chris said, defensively.  
Wyatt exchanged looks with young Chris and Jim, then all three turned to old Chris. "Yes!" they all said in unison, and everyone burst out laughing.

& & & & &

_In the present..._  
Veronica walked into the library at Magic School. It seemed to be a habit these days. Actually, it seemed like she spent more time in the library then anywhere else. Just like everyone else did. They were all here. The Elders, Silas, Odin, and Elenia were looking through the bookcases. The Charmed Ones, Leo, and Cole were sitting at the table looking through book after book. Bianca was sitting by the window watching little Wyatt, baby Christopher, and Hope. Christopher was pacing back and forth, looking really stressed. And Tom, who must have just come back from a coffee run, was handing out cups to everyone.  
Phoebe looked up then, feeling Veronica's worry. "How is she, Sweetie?" she asked, concerned for Nicki. They all knew that's where Veronica had been, checking up on the young witch.  
"Same as yesterday, and the day before that. She still hasn't come out of her room. I'm not even sure if she's eaten anything. At least she hasn't touched the food I put outside her door." Veronica said, downcast, as she came over and sat down next to Phoebe.  
Nicki had practically gone into shock after what had happened to Steve a week ago, and hasn't left her room since. Christopher had suggested to extend the holidays for the school, and everyone had agreed. There was no way one of them could teach a class in this situation anyway. They all, including some of the Elders, had started looking in every book they could find to see if they could find a way to save Steve, while Julian had returned to the Underworld to look for answers there.  
"After what she's been through, I wouldn't blame her if she never came out of her room again." Phoebe said, patting Veronica's hand. She glanced at Cole, who was sitting across from her, remembering the time she'd had to vanquish him when he was the Source, and how much that had hurt her.  
"I just hope we can find an answer to all this, so she'll have a reason to come out of her room," Paige said, slamming another book shut. No one even flinched. She had been doing that for the past four days, and no one noticed it anymore.  
She reached for another book from the we-haven't-checked-in-here-yet pile. Christopher walked by right in front of her then. "Will you stop that?! You are driving me nuts!" Paige said, annoyed, as she slammed the book down in front of her.  
"Like that's not bothering anyone?" Christopher said about the books she kept slamming.  
"No. Not like your incessant pacing!" she shot back, glaring at him.  
"Christopher," Piper spoke up then. Though the answer she got was not the one she had expected, for Baby Christopher giggled then, clearly recognizing his name. Everyone turned to see the little boy sitting between his brother and niece and looking at his mother. Piper couldn't help but smile.  
"Yes, mom?" Christopher answered after a moment, letting his mother enjoy the look on his younger self's face.  
"You're from the future. You must know how we can help Steve," she finally dared to ask. The look she gave him almost ripped his heart out. He wanted to help, he really did.  
"You know I can't tell you anything," he replied, feeling really bad.  
"Yeah, yeah, future consequences. You know, you sound like Chris," Phoebe said, somewhat sarcastically.  
"Yeah. You're just as neurotic, too," Paige added, much more sarcastically. With everyone's attention on Christopher, no one noticed the smile forming on Bianca's face as she remembered how Chris was before he had saved Wyatt.  
Christopher, meanwhile, wasn't sure if he should take that as a compliment, since he admired Chris, or as an insult. "That's not the point. I couldn't tell you, even if I wanted to," he said defensively.  
"That's a cop out!" Paige said, still in a sarcastic mood, while flipping pages in the book.  
"What do you mean?" Leo asked curiously, looking up at his grown up son.  
"I mean, I don't know what happened to Steve," he replied, discouraged.  
"How can you not know? There must be some record, one way or the other," Piper said, confused.  
Christopher lowered his head, feeling a little ashamed for not knowing how to help. He looked over at his little self, wondering why no one had told him. "No one told me what happened to Steve. I only know the destination. Not the journey." He tried to explain.  
Everyone looked at Odin then. Feeling the eyes on him, he slowly turned to look at the Halliwells. "What?" he asked confused, looking at each in turn.  
"You taught him that, didn't you?!" Piper accused her son's Godfather.  
Odin was at a complete loss as to what to answer, since he hadn't even taught Christopher how to recite spells, let alone teach him anything about journeys and destinations.  
"What do you mean, no one told you?" Cole spoke up this time.  
Christopher was starting to get nervous with all eyes on him. "Just that. No one told me," he said, now starting to feel helpless on top of everything else. It had been bad enough that night when they had gotten home and everyone had found out who he was. To him, at the time, it seemed like they thought of him as just another problem to solve. So they pushed the thought out of their heads, and dove head first into the biggest problem at hand: How to save Steve.  
"But why wouldn't we tell you?" Phoebe asked, perplexed.  
"Isn't it obvious?" Silas said from his perch on top of a ladder. He looked down at everyone, finding a slightly wobbly position on the ladder, and hoping he wouldn't fall. All eyes turned to him now, letting Christopher off the hook for the time being.  
"Obvious?" Paige asked, feeling like nothing was obvious right now.  
"In the future we must have known he'd come back to the past. And by then we must also have figured out his role in the coming events. His reason for being here. And they must be tied together, otherwise we would have told him what happened to Steve." Everyone just looked at Silas like he'd grown a second head, not completely sure they understood him.  
"Or maybe whatever happened didn't seem important to us anymore, when they were old enough for those stories... Or what happened to Steve was so horrible, that we didn't want to tell the children at all," Odin said, glancing over at the little ones then, feeling bad for even thinking that. Elenia's head dropped at the thought.  
"Don't say that! We'll get Steve back. I promise."  
Everyone turned to the new voice. Standing by the door was Nicki. Eyes red from crying, hair disheveled, clothes that looked like she had slept in them. But what caught them most was the look in her eyes. The look of pure determination to save the man she loved.  
"Nicki!" Tom exclaimed. He was the closest to the door and hugged his friend now, glad to have her back from her isolation. Nicki returned the hug but then separated herself from him quickly again.  
She stepped forward until she stood right in front of Christopher. She had thought about all this when she was alone. First, she was desperately sad, she felt like someone had ripped her in two. But then she realized that crying wouldn't help her or her finance... And she was sure that Steve was not lost, somehow she was deadly sure about that. So she replayed the events in her mind again and again, trying to find a clue. But while doing that she came up with more and more questions and now was the time to get some of them answered. And Christopher would be her first victim.  
"So... Christopher, right?" she asked, her eyes fixed on him in a way that made his blood froze... almost as if he was back in school sitting in one of her classes without homework. But before he had a chance to say anything she went on: "If you are here, then tell me, why didn't you know that this would happen?"  
The witch-Elder sighed: "Nicki we already had that discussion... I didn't know this would happen. How could I? I'm a little baby right now! And when I grew up no one ever told me about it."  
But the woman just shook her head: "I don't mean that... But - correct me if I'm wrong - if Steve turned into an Ashon, and before he was human... than I suspect he is both... You should have known that he can transform into a demon completely!"  
Now Christopher lowered his eyes and then nodded.  
"Then why didn't you tell us?" Nicki asked.  
"Honey, please," Veronica said, putting an arm around her friend, "for him it was a normal thing, I guess. How could he have known that this is a thing to worry about?" And at this Christopher looked at her again and nodded eagerly.  
Nicki narrowed her eyes at him, and asked: "So... in the future you come from, Steve is really able to switch between human and demon?" Christopher nodded lowering his head again. "And he's fine with that?" Again he nodded. "Does he still love me?"  
Christopher rose his eyes at this to look into hers and said, his voice low but serious: "He loves you more than anything else in the world."  
Nicki nodded and smiled slightly, thankful for that little bit of information, knowing he already said too much about the future. And she also knew that with him being in the past, there was no guarantee that things would still go this way... But she still had hope.  
Now she turned to the next person she wanted some answers from: Elenia. "And you," she said, addressing her, "he is your son, you knew who his father was. Have you never thought this might happen?" But before the Elder could answer Nicki turned to Phoebe: "And you... you yourself told me about what it is like to love a half-demon..." Then she turned to Cole with a look mixed of anger and disbelief: "And you once were half-human half-demon, too. How could you not know this would happen to him? You were like him once, so how could you not know??????"

& & & & &

Victor was sitting on the sofa in the manor's living room, reading the newspaper. Since six days he was occupying one of the guest rooms again. When he had left and went back to LA on January 10th, he had never guessed that he would be back just about a month later. But then Piper had called him, asking if he could come over to them again. She said they had a little problem to deal with and would be glad if he could help them watching the kids. Well of course he agreed immediately. And after everything at work was cleared up, he packed his things and let himself be orbed over by Leo. That was six days ago...  
By now he knew what was going on... He knew about Christopher being not Chris. Phoebe's suspicions about the new Senator - and he was glad that he didn't vote for that guy - but that problem stood on the very end of the list... And he knew about Steve, the main problem.  
Right now his whole family was at magic school, searching for a way to fix things, while he had a moment to relax. Normally he would have gone with them since he didn't really like to be alone in that huge house, but... Paige was waiting for a mail - some kind of magic thing she had ordered online - and he offered to stay behind and pick it up.  
Right then orbs appeared in front of him, forming into his thee grand- and great-grandkids, the oldest of the tree holding onto the other two.  
"Wyatt? What are you doing here?" Victor asked worried.  
The boy grinned: "We're bored..."  
"But what about your mom and aunts?" he asked, knowing that they took the kids with them that day, because they wanted and needed to spend some time with them.  
Wyatt meanwhile had let go of his younger brother and cousin and went over to sit down by his grandfather as he explained: "Nicki came and was not in a good mood. So I asked Aunt Anka if we could go to you and she said it was ok..."  
Victor sighed at this, through he knew it were good news that Nicki came out of her room again.  
"So..." he said then, "what do we wanna play?" he was about to stand up to make sure that Christopher and Hope wouldn't crawl through the manor on their own (since both became really fast at this lately) when suddenly he heard Christopher's cute little voice saying "Kiki". Looking up he saw a picture that made the older man smile. On the other side of the table stood Christopher on unsteady legs, looking with his nose right over the table, holding himself upright with his hands clawed to the wood of the table.  
"Oh my, Wyatt look... Your brother's first attempt to stand!" the man exclaimed proudly. The blond 3-year-old boy looked at his brother smiling, through not really understanding what was so special about that. But it was special, since the boy was just 8 month old. But with Wyatt being around him all the time, he picked things up quite fast from his big brother.  
Victor was meanwhile about to stand up again to get Kiki, Christopher's fluffy cat he had gotten for Christmas when another pair of small hands, which appeared on the table besides Christopher's, made him sit down again. And a moment later another head (or better half of it) appeared next to the boy, showing the sparkling and curious eyes of Hope. The girl was a little smaller than the boy and was just barely able to look over the table but this really was a cute sight.  
"I can't believe it," Victor said, "you're standing up, too!" That was indeed a huge surprise since she was even younger than Christopher, but Hope always tried to do what Christopher did, so of course she did so this time, too. "Oh, Chris will be so sad that he can't see you right now..." Victor muttered.  
Hearing those words, Wyatt tucked on his grandfather's sleeve saying: "No problem." And when the man turned to him the boy orbed Cole's really expensive digital camera, which of course he wasn't allowed to take, to his hands.  
Victor smiled at his clever grandson, took the camera and a few seconds later the cute picture in front of him was safely stored on the memory card inside the camera. Not a second later Hope fell back on her butt with a small thud, still giggling happily, but not able to hold herself upright any longer.  
Smiling Victor took the camera down, right when the front door opened.  
"Anybody home?" he heard a by now familiar voice.  
Meanwhile Christopher also had enough of peering over the table and fell back down on his butt as well.  
"Living room!" Victor called and a moment later Kyle stepped through the doorway.  
"Hey," he greeted, smiling and then went over to the kids to ruffle their hairs to say hello, too.  
Victor smiled at the man. "Nice to see you again," he said, since he had last seen him during breakfast this very same day. "Paige is at the school, as you probably can guess..."  
The man nodded and sat down besides him. "Did Wyatt play with Cole's camera again?" he then asked.  
Victor laughed shaking his head. "No, this is my fault," he explained taking the camera again to show the man the picture he made.  
Kyle smiled when he saw it. It was really a cute shot... "Isn't hope a little too young for a stunt like this?" he then asked surprised.  
"I'm surprised as well... I guess it's Christopher's and Wyatt's influence... But then again... What is normal in this family?" At this both men laughed.  
"Can we play now?" Wyatt asked then, feeling a little left out.  
Victor nodded: "Of course we will... We both will go to the sunroom and play with your cars, what do you think?" At this Wyatt nodded eagerly. "And I'm sure I've seen Kiki sitting in the playpen, too... Uncle Kyle," he went on looking at the man, "will relax a little and then he'll follow us, right?"  
"Right," the man agreed smiling, always enjoying it to spend time with the kids...

& & & & &

Unholy sounds could be heard from throughout the Underworld, warning off all but the bravest... or the truly evil, and not to mention the very foolish. But not everyone down here was all that. In a disguised cave, away from prying demonic eyes, lived a strange pair. A human and a demon. Now, they definitely weren't foolish, but you could call them brave. As for being evil, well, maybe they weren't as evil as they should have been. Especially the demon, who was the Source of all Evil. Though you'd definitely think he was at this very moment.  
"Julian, where the Hell are you going this time?!" Belthazor yelled angrily at his friend.  
"Out. The same as yesterday... And the day before that," Julian said, exasperated. He'd been saying the same thing every day for the last week. He knew why Belthazor was angry, but it was still taking a toll on him. Belthazor moved around to intercept him.  
"No. You are not going out again. Have you lost your mind?" The big red demon said, standing over the witch. His face would have been red with anger, if he'd been human and not already red. Julian looked up at him, forcing himself to stay calm. Belthazor was just looking out for him, trying to protect him. He repeated that to himself like a mantra, wishing his friend knew a better way to deal with his emotions then blowing up like this all the time.  
'He's a demon! Why do I keep thinking he can change?' Julian thought. "I'm going. With or without your approval. And I'm going to get the information we need. Now get out of my way," he told the big red demon in front of him.  
If anyone else had been standing there looking up at the Source, they would be shaking with fear. But not Julian. He knew Belthazor would never hurt him. They were too good of friends.  
"We can't interfere. I can't get involved. And neither should you," Belthazor said angrily, not wanting to give in, but trying to be reasonable at the same time. Ever since that night, when he watched Julian get hurt, it had driven him insane that he couldn't help. And now Julian was hell bent on helping the Halliwells to save Steve. But for him, it wasn't that easy, he had an image to uphold as the Source. He couldn't go around helping witches to vanquish demons. Even if he wanted to help. Which he did! And it was unbelievably frustrating for him to not be able to help.  
"Steve saved my life! I have to help!" Julian replied, his voice rising a little, the anger and frustration at Belthazor's fathering starting to get to him. He matched the demon's stare, glare for glare.  
"And what if the Ashon capture you? You know I won't be able to bail you out. It's already known that you have ties to the Halliwells. If they connect you to me..."  
"Right. Make this all about you! Forget that Steve is out there, going through ceremonies that will make him a full Ashon in a matter of days. Never to be human again. We still know far too less about what they do to him," Julian cut him off, the anger taking over. But neither backed down.  
"This isn't about me! If they find out about our connection, the demons of the Underworld will mutiny! They will kill us both and go after the Charmed Ones and their family. Then they'll seek out every last witch on the planet and destroy them! I can't help the sisters if I'm dead. And neither can you!" Belthazor bellowed, but Julian didn't flinch. They'd known each other for too long, and been through too much.  
"You're a demon! You're not supposed to be helping witches!" He yelled back, shoving Belthazor away from him. "Now let me pass."  
"If they catch you..." the Source started.  
"They can't catch what they can't see." Julian turned invisible then and left the cave, effectively ending the conversation.  
The whole past week had gone pretty much the same. Belthazor would try to stop Julian from leaving, then they'd get in a fight. Then Julian would turn invisible and leave, leaving Belthazor to worry about him for hours. Then Julian would return and tell him everything he'd learned, even if it was just some small nugget of information, like if Steve was alright, to something big, like the ceremonies Steve had to go through. But it always left Belthazor with a feeling of helplessness, since he couldn't freely go out and help himself. And he truly wanted to help. Never before, since their separation, had he wished for the days when he and Cole had been one. Back then, he could walk freely among his enemies, and they would never know what he really was. It was like he had a secret identity, like Superman or Batman. Well, more like The Green Goblin or Two Face. But at least he was free to go where he wished. Now as the Source, and without his human half, he was watched by Underworld factions, just waiting for him to show he wasn't loyal to them. If they found out what his true intentions were, they'd kill Julian first, then go after the Halliwells. And the Halliwells and their friends had been becoming like family to him. Losing them or Julian, they were his weakness. That, he couldn't afford for anyone to find out. And Julian's constant desire to put himself in harms way lately, just made things harder for him. How was he supposed to save his friend, if he was always running around getting into trouble?  
The frustration he'd been feeling spilled over, and he picked up a wood and metal bookshelf and threw it across the room. The wood splintered as it hit the cave wall, sending shrapnel and books everywhere. It was times like these, he was glad the cave was sound proof. And at least now he had something to focus on other than how Julian was. So he walked over to the broken shelf, the frustration gone out of him now, and started to pick up the books.  
As he did so, he realized he must have thrown the shelf harder than he thought, since part of the wall had been busted and a book had lodged itself in the hole. After fighting with the book for a few minutes, he finally pulled it out. Looking at the cover, he sensed something wasn't right. First, he didn't recognize the book. And he knew all the books they had down here. He should, he spent months reading them. But then, where did this one come from? He looked over where the bookcase had been, then to the wall where he had thrown it. His gaze fell to the hole where he had found the book. Leaning down to take a closer look, he realized the book hadn't lodged in there, but had been hidden there. He leaned back and picked the book back up, taking a closer look at the cover. Frowning he thought: 'This book shouldn't even be in the Underworld. So what is it doing here?'

& & & & &

_Meanwhile in the future...  
_After the older Chris had went to the kitchen to see if he could help Piper, Wyatt looked into the caldron, before turning to the younger Chris and Jim, asking: "What are you doing here anyway?"  
"We try to invent a new potion!" Jim said proudly.  
Wyatt looked at him frowning, then said: "Yeah sure..." He was about to turn and leave for his room when his cousin hold him back.  
"No, really," he said, "we try to make a potion that counters the dimension-shift-effect of the Monk-demons."  
At this Wyatt raised an eye-brow. And Chris added: "Yeah, it's supposed to work at contact make them vulnerable against our powers again. Jim found a potion in a book that we hope to be able to modify..."  
Wyatt tilted his head: "If that would work..."  
"Exactly!" Jim said, smiling proudly again. Chris had to grin and his cousin's attitude, but he could perfectly understand it. They were already pretty close to the solution and if they would get it to work...  
But then Wyatt frowned again: "Ok... but let's just say you make this work, then why does our Chris not use the potion already?" Jim looked at Chris who looked back at his cousin and shrugged. "So..." Wyatt then said, "maybe you should not waste your time like all the others before you did... Not even the Elders found a solution so for..."  
"But..." Chris said, shaking his head. "No, Wyatt... You are wrong."  
"Really?" both Wyatt and Jim now said, looking at Chris confused.  
The Elder-witch just sighed: "Even if we will get this to work, and I'm sure we will... I couldn't use it until now because it was Jim's idea and even if I would want to I wouldn't use the potion before he invents it... Future Consequences." The last thing he added with a shrug.  
"Really? I mean, you really would keep that a secret?" Jim asked.  
"Of course I will... like everything else I witness here. I can't tell anyone about it..." Chris replied, now getting sad. Because he actually wanted to tell them, especially Bianca, how amazing the future is. But he also knew if he would tell them he'd probably change it.  
"Now I know why no one is worried about you being here," Wyatt said. Then he patted Jim's and Chris' shoulder whishing them good luck with the potion before he left through the door to the basement.  
Jim stared at Chris for a moment then asked: "Shall we start new? With less burdock root this time?" Chris nodded with a smile and so they did, again starting with the lavender oil...  
After a couple of minutes Chris suddenly asked: "I... I don't want to be noisy, but... Do you know why your dad isn't at the police anymore?"  
"That one really surprised you, huh?"  
Chris nodded at this. He had always thought that Kyle loved his job, but he had to find out that in the future he worked as private investigator instead.  
"Well," Jim said, "I don't know everything, I mean he gave up his job before I was born... But as far as I know it was because of us. I guess it's not easy to be a cop when you are in love with a witch. And now he's working with Cole and doesn't have to write official reports anymore..."  
"Yeah I guess that's a real advantage..." Chris said laughing. Then he asked: "And you? What will you do with your life?"  
At this Jim shrugged: "I'm not sure. I like to be a witch-whitelighter, you know... But of course I know I need to do something... Through I'm not sure what that could be just yet. I only know that I want to help people, you know..."  
Chris nodded at this. Then he said: "Well you still have time. I'm sure you'll make your way..."  
Jim smiled and nodded as he added - this time less - burdock root to the mixture in the caldron...

& & & & &

_Back in our time..._  
The underworld was not as dark as one would think. Sure, parts were so dark that you couldn't see the hand in front of your eyes. But others were not.  
So there was, for example, a cave which was pretty large. It was round and in the middle were a couple of columns making sure the ceiling wouldn't crash down on those living there. There were several bright fires burning, lighting up the place, giving it a somehow welcoming atmosphere. All around the walls were little holes beaten into the stone, like alcoves one would say. Inside, on the floor, hay was laid out, just enough to give someone a place where he could have a good night of sleep. In some of those holes there even were blankets made of fur or leather. There, where there was no hole, you could find paintings on the walls, telling stories of life, of surviving, of victory...  
This cave was not empty. No... In fact there were lots of beings running around in a busy way, doing what they always did on any other day. Talking, getting water to drink from a spring in the back of the cave, getting something to eat, taking care of kids playing around the bright fires, chatting with others... Yes those beings were busy with the all day life as usual. If it wouldn't have been for their appearance one would have seen no difference between them and humans.  
Yeah their appearance was quite different. Those beings had grey skin, with bumps here and there. Those bumps were a sign of the age as it seems, because the kids had almost none while those who were some decades or even centuries old had quite a lot. They were wearing simple clothes made of leather, some were even wearing human clothes, probably from a witch they had killed, which made them look even more normal, in a weird way.  
Well, apart from being grey and having bumps and having those red eyes, they were as different in their appearance as humans, just to compare them again. There were large ones and small ones, fat ones and thin ones, and the hair had colors from blond to red to brown to black... Yes, that's what they were like - the Ashon.  
In one of those alcoves mentioned before, was sitting an Ashon of still a young age, through he was by far no kid anymore. He was wearing - through torn and dirty - the clothes of a human. A jeans and a shirt. He was sitting there, on the hay, a leather blanket around his shoulders, hugging his bend knees, staring at the other side of the wall, without really seeing it. But he did notice that someone was approaching him, through he didn't move or even blink.  
"Tevaal?" the female Ashon asked to get his attention, her voice surprisingly soft. She was probably a few years older than him, with long brown hair. "What are you doing here, all alone, Tevaal?" she asked, because he still didn't react to her presence.  
"I don't think you should call me like this," he said, without turning to her.  
"But it's your name, isn't it?" she asked with a frown.  
"No, it's not... It's the name you and the others gave me, but I have another name." At this the Ashon lowered his eyes to his hands.  
The female one nodded at this. Then she asked: "So, young one... what is your name then?"  
Tevaal shook his head, then turned to her, distress written all over his face. He sighed: "I can't remember, Meehan. I... I just know that I had another name... And..."  
"And?" Meehan asked, worried about him. The oldest of her clan had said he would adapt soon to his new life, and they had given her the task to take care of him while he got used to their ways. But the female Ashon knew that this was harder for the young one then they thought.  
Tevaal had buried his face in his hands for a moment, thinking, trying to find words for what's going on inside of him. Then he turned to Meehan again, who had become a friend for him, here in this place. She always cared for him and he knew he could talk to her freely. "I'm not sure..." he said therefore, "I just remember some feelings, some pictures... but it seems all so far away. I feel so like I'm missing something... something important. And that worries me."  
Meehan nodded. Then she climbed into the alcove beside him and made him rest his head on her lap. She caressed his head, trying to calm him down in the process. She knew those memories from his past life were strong, and that was good. But it surely would take some time until they would all come back to him completely. So for now all she could do was offer him support... "It's ok..." she whispered to him, "everything is going to be alright. Just try to sleep a little..."  
"Will you stay here? Make sure I won't have a nightmare again?" he asked, remembering that other time, when he had woken up filled with panic, but unable to recall his dream.  
Meehan smiled at this request, glad that he trusted her. "Of course I'll stay. Just sleep, I'll protect you." And so Tevaal closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

& & & & &

Everyday Julian came here looking for answers. And somehow he always got some. Though what he found out today was not what he had expected. He crouched nearby, invisible, listening intently. He heard every word Tevaal had said to Meehan. And he couldn't believe his ears.  
'He knows he has another name and there's something else he has forgotten! I have to tell the others,' Julian thought and quickly but quietly got up to leave the immense cave. As soon as he thought he was far enough from the Ashon's den, he shimmered back to his friend.

* * *

_(Chapter 1 written by Chrissy.W.x and Kirianna Ledräen)_


	2. Chapter 2

**A Charmed Story - Fourteen:  
Ashon: Re-Evolution (Freaky Friday 2)  
Chapter 2**

For the past week, a great deal of questions had been asked, and many had been answered. Even Nicki's questions had been asked and answered. But she hadn't been there to hear them. So Cole took a deep breath before answering.  
"Look, Nicki, you're right. I should have seen it coming. But like everyone else here, I didn't. How could I?" he said, compassionately, taking a few steps in her direction. "It's a testament to Steve that I didn't."  
"How can you say that? Steve..." Nicki said angrily, but Cole, holding his hands up defensively, cut her off.  
"Was a good man. Is a good man," Cole corrected himself before continuing. "I was brought up by my demon mother. I was taught to hate and kill from an early age. Steve wasn't. He was brought up in a loving home. Shown compassion and kindness. How can that compare to what I went through? I watched my mother kill my father when I was only a few years older then Wyatt. I was able to control my ability to switch between myself and Belthazor. As far as any of us know, Steve never turned before. He was, is good. Whether or not he could change into an Ashon was never an issue. It never occurred to us, because we never believed it could happen."  
Nicki was looking up at Cole, tears filling her eyes. He was right, she realized. But it didn't change the fact that Steve was with the Ashon right now, and not with her.  
"Sweetie, I know this is hard. And it's only going to get harder from here, trust me. But I promise you, we will find Steve and bring him home," Phoebe said, compassionately, taking her place next to Cole, and drawing the young witch's attention.  
Tears were spilling down Nicki's cheeks as she lowered her head to look at the Charmed One. Her composure was slowly returning. She knew she could trust the Charmed Ones. Saving innocents was what they did. And they would save Steve. They just had to figure out how.  
"Honey," Elenia came up and put her hand on Nicki's shoulder, turning her to face her. "Steve's father was evil. But Steve is nothing like his father. What happened to him, it happened while he was trying to protect you. Because he loves you so much, the very thought of anything happening to you would drive him insane." Nicki looked at her, shocked, but before she could say anything, Elenia went on. "I'm not blaming you. Nor am I blaming his love for you. To be loved like that is... it's something you hold on to and never let go. I obviously overlooked his father's genes. What his father was. But by the time it even occurred to me, it was too late. Now we just have to find a way to bring him back."  
The determination in Elenia's voice gave Nicki hope. She looked around the room then, taking in everyone's determined looks. She knew they were all going to help her get Steve back. The only question left now was, how were they going to do it?

& & & & &

Oblivious to the mess around him, Belthazor was completely engrossed in the mysterious book he had found. So much that he hadn't even heard Julian return. But the mess was very apparent to Julian. He looked around the cave, gape mouthed, in shock at the destruction. He looked for signs of a struggle, thinking Belthazor had been attacked after he'd left. But as soon as he saw the big red demon sitting peacefully in a chair, apparently unhurt, reading a book, he relaxed a little. Though only a little.  
Julian walked over to Belthazor, stopping a foot from him, crossing his arms over his chest, and scowling down at him. The Source never even noticed him. So he cleared his throat, startling his friend and gaining his attention.  
"Julian! I didn't hear you come in," Belthazor said excited, completely oblivious to Julian's demeanor. "You will never guess what I found!"  
"Why is the cave in shambles?" Julian asked, irritated, ignoring Belthazor's enthusiasm.  
"I, ah... Look what I found! I think it..." he started, ignoring the witch's question, but getting cut off by the glare that was directed at him. "Sorry," he apologized, a sheepish look on his face. The unusual and comic sight would have had Julian laughing under different circumstances, but too much was at stake at the moment. The witch let out a sigh before speaking.  
"Just clean it up," Belthazor, sighed and started to get up. But Julian stopped him: "Later. I have something important to tell you." He then lowered himself into a crouching position. The demon looked at him, surprise on his face, as he lowered himself back into the chair. Julian continued: "Steve knows there is something wrong. He knows there's something missing in his memories."  
"I thought you said he'd forgotten who he was?" the Source said, baffled. Two days ago, Julian had returned from his stakeout, only to report that Steve no longer remembered who he was. As if he'd had his memory wiped clean. They had assumed it was the result of the ceremonies being performed on him. But now things looked different and that some their friend's memory was coming through, only meant good things for them.  
"I did. But Steve must be stronger then any of us thought. He's going to be harder for the Ashon to corrupt then originally planned. Which means our window is a little wider then we expected. I guess they'll have to perform more of those mysterious ceremonies in the next few days if they want him completely. If he's remembering..." Julian said, hopeful. If Steve could break though the magic, there was hope for him yet.  
"Or maybe we were thinking in the wrong direction," Belthazor than thought out loud.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well from all that we know, the Ashon aren't the usual demons, are they?"  
Julian nodded at this: "Maybe you're right. So far we have no proof that they are hurting him, except those ceremonies...."  
"... about which we know close to nothing," the Source added and Julian nodded thoughtful.  
"What do you suggest we should to do now?" Belthazor asked after a few moments of silence.  
"I think it's time to tell the Charmed Ones what we know."  
"No. Not yet," the demon replied, a contemplative look in his eyes.  
Julian looked at him, bewildered. "Why not?"  
Belthazor locked eyes with him and held up the book he'd found. "Because I think I may have found something that could help us to save him." Julian's eyes drifted to the book in his friend's hand. Beneath the dust and grim from being hidden in the wall for who knows how many years, a thin strip of gold could be seen in the binding. There were no books like that in the Underworld. Only Up There. Julian's mouth dropped with shock. He looked back at Belthazor, the importance of the situation hitting him like a wave.  
"I want to read more before we tell them anything. I think this book might be very helpful."  
Julian nodded in agreement. Then taking a deep breath, he stood up. "I'll go back to watch Steve, then. See what else I can find out. I'll be back in a couple of hours. We'll talk more then." Julian left the cave, feeling like they were finally getting somewhere. Steve's own breakthrough and now finding that mysterious book, it could only mean one thing. Steve was meant to be saved.

& & & & &

_Meanwhile in the future..._  
Then potion in the pot had just turned a lighter shade of yellow as Chris stirred it carefully. "Yeah that's what I wanted it to be..." he muttered with a smile.  
Jim, who was meanwhile cutting the stems of blue poppy, stopped his work for a moment to look into the caldron, too, grinning excited. Just two more steps and they would be done, and then he would...  
His thoughts were interrupted by the ring of the doorbell. "Go," he said to Chris with a nod of his head, "I'll take care of the potion."  
Chris nodded with a sigh, not really wanting to leave at this point. But then he went down the hallway to open the door to find out whoever wanted something from them. But he had never expected what was happening next.  
As soon as he had opened the door wide enough a woman threw herself at him, kissing him without warning. Chris was shocked and not able to react as those lips were pressed against his own, kissing him with passion. But when he felt a tongue seeking for entrance he finally snapped out of it and pulled away.  
"What?" the woman asked irritated.  
Chris frowned: "Well..." He looked at her trying to put her somewhere. She had long blond hair and very light blue eyes, which seemed familiar, but...  
"I'm sorry ok..." she said while Chris turned his head into the direction of the dining room.  
"Jim I need help here!" he called slightly desperate.  
"Just a second," came his cousin's reply.  
Meanwhile the woman had gone on talking, ignoring Chris' words: "I know I was acting like a bitch, but I know you forgive me, do you?" And as soon as those words were spoken her lips were on his again.  
But this time Chris reacted much sooner than before and pulled her away again, holding her by her shoulders. "Look I..." he tried, but didn't really know what to say.  
"Oh come on," the woman said, freeing herself. "I know you missed me, didn't you?" And before he had a chance to stop her, she kissed him again.  
While Chris thought for a moment that this was getting ridiculous, while he tried to push her away again, he heard a giggle coming from outside the house, while a heartily laughter come from the inside. Chris then finally pushed her off of him again and said now a little angry: "Would you stop that, please?!" Then he turned to see who this giggle belonged to, since that laughter clearly belonged to his cousin. He blushed furiously when he noticed it was Bianca, who just came home from grocery shopping, pushing the pram, with Liam in it and two large bags hanging on either side of it, up the driveway.  
"It's not what you think!" he called to her, hoping she wouldn't be mad at him.  
But her face only showed amusement as she came closer saying: "I know..."  
"Can anybody tell me what's going on here?" the blond woman now asked, suddenly confused by the turn of events.  
That was when Jim stepped to them. He patted the girls shoulder and let her inside with the words: "That's a long story Lissy, and you better should sit down first, before we tell you."  
Meanwhile Chris turned to his wife again and after he shook his head to clear his mind he went to help her get the pram up the stairs. "Who is that?" he asked still confused.  
"That, my dear husband, is Christopher's girlfriend Melissa Benson," she said still laughing.  
"That's not funny," Chris stated.  
But his wife laughed even more: "Yes it is... and it's such a nice payback for when you let me kiss Christopher 23 years ago... You remember that???"  
The Elder-witch winced at this reminder. Bianca had not really been angry at him, but for a while she liked to remind him of that incident... But then he froze looking at his wife, as he suddenly realized what she had just said. "Wait? Melissa Benson? THAT Melissa Benson????"  
"Yeah... the new-future version of your first crush from elementary school, who you even dated as far as you told me..."  
Chris swallowed as he noticed a little bit of jealousy in her voice, while she had picked Liam out of the pram. Then he said, while he closed the door behind them: "Well she definitely has grown..." And as he saw his wife's raised eyebrow he added: "But really, you are much more beautiful than her, you always was and you always will be." He paused and smiled at her, while she looked at him with love-filled eyes. Then he added: "And if that wouldn't all be so weird I would kiss you right now to prove my point... But even if you don't believe me, I'm a little afraid of myself in case he catches us... or if I catches us... God I hate time travel."  
Now Bianca laughed heartily, which effectively gained them the attention of the two people sitting on the sofa as they entered the living room.  
"So... you really are not my Christopher?" the woman asked, her cheeks deep red by now.  
Chris shook his head. "No I'm not... Sorry."  
"No no," she said quickly, "I'm the one who should apologize. And I truly am sorry. I really didn't know... You see, Chrissie and me we had a little fight two weeks ago and..."  
"Wait..." Chris said, interrupting her. Yeah she really was like the Lissy he remembered, talking like a machine gun. "You call him Chrissie?"  
Lissy blushed even more: "Yeah..." And after a short break she added. "God, I hope he's alright..."  
Jim shrugged at this: "We're pretty sure he is... I mean... Piper and Leo said they remember what happened in the past by now... And they said he's fine."  
"You didn't tell me that?" Chris now said.  
"He's not supposed to," Bianca added, "some things are meant to be kept secret, you know that."  
Chris rolled his eyes: „Yeah I know... Future consequences..."  
Bianca smiled at him, then she turned to Lizzy: "If you help me unpack the groceries I'll make us a tea..." The woman agreed and quickly followed the Phoenix out of the room.  
"So she knows about us being witches?" Chris asked his cousin as he got up from the sofa, too.  
"Yeah, she does... you hardly can keep such a secret for 15 years from someone who's close to you..."  
The Elder-witch nodded at this, as they went back to their portion. Both smiled as they looked into the caldron, where now a clear ice blue liquid was slightly boiling.  
"I guess it's ready," Jim said, his voice filled with excitement. He grasped a vial and filled it with the potion.  
Chris agreed. Then he asked: "You sure you wanna do this alone?"  
"You know you can't come with me to test this..." Jim said grinning as he filled another vial, "Chris told you it's too dangerous for you to go to the underworld... So listen to yourself for once..."  
The Elder-witch grimaced: "But please don't go alone, get yourself some help, ok? And be careful."  
His cousin nodded: "I'll grab Wyatt on the way..." Then he took the two vials he had filled and orbed off. Chris sighed following the lights which disappeared through the ceiling. Then he turned around to fill the remaining vials.

& & & & &

_In the present..._  
After Kyle had relaxed a good 15 minutes - with his eyes closed and his feet on the coffee table - he decided that he needed a cup of coffee. So he went to the kitchen to get himself a cup full of the hot liquid.  
But when he entered, he was surprised to find Victor by the fridge. "Didn't you want to play with Wyatt?" he asked as he went closer.  
Victor looked up as he pulled two bottles of beer out of the fridge and closed its door with the elbow. "Yeah, well I did, but then I asked him to play alone for a moment since I wanted to have a talk with you." And with the last words he offered a beer to the young man in front of him.  
"With me?" Kyle asked surprised as he took the bottle and sat down hesitatingly, unsure what this was all about.  
Victor nodded thoughtful as he sat down facing him. He wasn't sure how to start this kind of conversation, and he wasn't even sure if it was the right thing to do, but somehow he felt it was...  
"What about?" Kyle asked, when Victor kept silent while he opened his bottle and took a gulp. Kyle meanwhile did the same.  
Then Victor spoke: "You know... I may not be blood related to Paige, but over the last couple of years she became like a daughter for me, in a way.... I mean, I would never claim that position, since she has a father, but... Well, I care about her, you know?"  
Kyle nodded smiling: "And if I'm right she cares about you, too."  
Victor smiled back at the man, feeling more and more awkward, but said: "Thanks." After that the older of the two kept silent, looking at the bottle in his hand thoughtful.  
So Kyle finally asked: "And?"  
Victor sighed: "You spend a lot of time here, lately. Do you?"  
Now Kyle smiled, finally understanding what this was about. But still he couldn't help the blush as he nodded. "I guess..."  
"Well," Victor went on, "in the last six days since I'm here I saw you... well six days."  
"Yeah," Kyle agreed with a smile.  
The older man smiled, too, and then added: "Everybody likes you here, you know... And the kids, they adore you."  
Kyle took a sip from his bottle and smiled before he said: "Yeah I like those three, too. They are really cute."  
Victor agreed on that. "Yeah, I guess it's hard to not like them. They all are just amazing, and so adorable."  
For a moment both men kept silent again, just drinking their beer, only looking at the bottle, or the table. It was not an uncomfortable silence, not anymore, but both knew that this talk wasn't finished, yet.  
After a couple of moments Victor finally asked: "How much do you pay for your apartment?"  
Now Kyle choked on his beer: "What?"  
"Well, I was just wondering... Why don't you move in here completely? Since you already practically live here. It would save you some money for sure. And you wouldn't have to go the extra way to your apartment every morning to get fresh clothes," he explained with a chuckle. But then he added with a serious voice: "I'm sure Paige would like that idea, too, because she really loves you."  
"I know she does," Kyle said, "as much as I love her, but... I'm not sure if we are ready for that. I mean so far we always had the knowledge that we don't have to spend every night together. If we wanted a little more space or privacy we could have that."  
Victor nodded: "But so far it seems to me that you don't really need that, at least not the last six days."  
"Actually the last three weeks," Kyle stated. But then he added: "And then there are the demons. So far Paige could always orb me home when there was a danger."  
"Yeah," Victor agreed, "but she also could orb you to magic school."  
Kyle nodded at that, very thoughtful, wondering if Victor was right, if they really should give this a try. But then again he feared that it still was too early. He sighed, a little frustrated. So far he never had wondered if things went too fast, in his former relationships. But maybe that was the reason why it never had worked out in the end. But this time, this time he really wanted this. Paige was just special and for nothing in this world he wanted to risk losing her.  
"Look," Victor said then understanding the man's inner conflict, "I won't talk you into anything you aren't ready for. I just thought... Well you know I'm not that young anymore and things are working well for me with my job and all in LA. And since my boss knows I have a large family over here which I like to visit a lot he offered me to go into a part-time retirement. I would earn a little less but still enough and had only to work half of the time anymore. So I thought that... I thought it would be a nice thing to agree and then I could work two weeks in LA and spend two weeks here with my family and so on... So... If you are looking for someone to take over your apartment..."  
Now Kyle laughed, he laughed from deep down inside his heart, making Victor laugh, too. "So that is this about?" he said then as he tried to catch his breath again. "You want me to move in here so that you can have my apartment?" And they both laughed again.  
Then Victor shrugged. "Not only... I somehow know that you will live here eventually, you just belong together... but I thought it was a good deal..."  
"Ok... I'll think about it, but I can't promise anything..."  
And again both man laughed with all their hearts.

& & & & &

_The alley was long and dark. Strange sounds were coming from the back end, making him nervous. He walked slowly towards the clamor, a light finally appearing at the end. As the light grew stronger, the noises became clearer. Voices could be heard indistinctly among the cacophonies of battle. A fire ball suddenly drifted passed his head, forcing him to duck. He looked back at the scorch mark it made on the nearby wall, fear gripping his stomach at the near miss. Turning back to the light, he forced himself forward. The voices were becoming clearer the closer he got, but he still couldn't make out what was being said. Then suddenly he was there.  
There were two groups in front of him. His family, the Ashon, was on the right. He knew he should know the humans on the left, but their names eluded him. And both sides were fighting against each other. One Ashon, whom he'd only recently met, was suddenly blown up. A retaliatory fire ball hit a brown haired young man square in the chest, sending him sprawling. His eyes followed the young man's flight, only to see it land in a pile of other bodies. Human bodies. He counted five. His gaze then went to the Ashon, where he saw three bodies, and two dust piles. The two sides were killing each other one by one, and there were only three left on either side. Make that two left.  
One female Ashon, and one male Ashon were left on one side, along with two female humans on the other. Obviously the male Ashon and the older female human were the strongest of their sides. The blasts they send at each other, which could have destroyed an entire city block, ripped the two to pieces, but somehow missed their younger companions.  
There was now only a single light on, barely keeping the darkness at bay. All the bodies, human and Ashon, were lost in the shadows. Only the two women were left. And for the first time they seemed to notice him. They were both sprawled on the ground, bleeding from numerous wounds, reaching out to him, calling his name.  
"Tevaal, please help me!" the female Ashon pleaded, coughing up blood. He took a few steps towards her, trying to see her face through the shadows. And then he recognized her, it was Meehan. His heart started to race at the sight of his friend like this.  
Then he heard the human speak. "Steve! Please! I need you! Help me!"  
What a strange name he thought. But something was familiar about it. He turned to her, curious, taking a cautious step in her direction. She had a huge gaping wound in her chest. It was a miracle that she was still alive, let alone still able to speak. He caught sight of her eyes then, and was immediately drawn in. He knelt down next to her head, searching her eyes for something. Some truth he knew he'd forgotten. There was love there, in this girl's eyes. And fear. Fear of losing him. He knew this girl, that much he was sure, but her name continued to elude him.  
"Tevaal! Help me!" he heard Meehan say again. He looked back at her, feeling so sorry for her. The wounds she had... nothing short of a miracle could save her now.  
"Steve! I'm so sorry," the human girl said, looking up at him with sorrow filled eyes. The light in them had dimmed in the few moments it had taken him to look at Meehan. And as he watched, the light, and life, left her completely. His breathing started to become ragged, his hands curling into fists. The sound of hurricane force winds filled his ears, his heart pounded like a drum against his chest. And then he spoke, quietly at first, then increasing in volume as his anguish rose up, almost choking him. "No, no, no, no, No, No, No, No, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"_  
Tevaal woke with a start, his heart pounding against his chest. The hurricane winds drowning out all sound. It took him a few minutes to get his breathing under control. And as he did, the winds subsided and his heart slowed, and the realization that someone was talking to him finally hit him.  
The voice was soft but terrified, worried about him. He turned to look where the voice was coming from, and came face to face with Meehan, eyes full of terror and tears. Others had gathered as well, for he not only yelled in his dream, but also for real. The faces were all concerned, worried about their Ashon brother. A young one stood nearby holding a small cup filled with water out to him, a fearful look in his little red eyes. Tevaal accepted it graciously, drinking it down quickly, to satiate his parched throat.  
The eyes were still on him, watching, worrying. He suddenly felt Meehan's hand on his shoulder and turned to her again.  
"Are you alright? You scared me half to death!" The concern in her voice was clear, and matched that in her eyes. He smiled at her, to reassure her that it was okay, it was over.  
"I'm," a huge coughing fit hit him as he tried to speak, his dry throat not letting him explain. The little boy picked up the cup Tevaal had dropped, and ran to the spring to get him some more water. Meanwhile Meehan motioned for everyone to back up and give him some room. The little boy was soon back, a cup in both hands this time. Tevaal greedily drank them both before trying to speak again.  
"I'm fine. Truly." Another cough. "Please, go back to what you were doing." Slowly, the crowd began to disperse, eventually leaving Tevaal alone with Meehan and the little boy. Tevaal smiled at the youngster, reached over to mess his hair.  
"You can go play now, Savale." The little boy looked at him for a moment longer, then got up and ran off. "Thank you!" Tevaal added as an afterthought, holding up the cup as he did. Meehan watched him for a moment more before speaking.  
"It was another nightmare, wasn't it?" she asked, feeling sorry for him after everything he'd been through to find his family.  
"Yes, it was. I'm sorry I scared you. I scared myself," he told her honestly. She had become such a sweet friend since he'd gotten there. He didn't know how he could have spent his life before without knowing her.  
"Do you want to talk about it? Your nightmare?" she asked, lightly prodding. She hoped if he talked about them, maybe they could figure out what was causing them, and he'd stop having them. He shook his head, looking away.  
"I don't remember. I don't remember any of it," he lied. He looked over at her, his face set in a mask, not showing what he was thinking or feeling. She just nodded.  
"I'll go get us something to eat. Maybe we can loosen your memory a bit once there is some food in your belly," Meehan got up then, and Tevaal watched her go. The image of her broken, bleeding body, flashing in front of him. He turned his head away. He hadn't wanted to tell her this dream. It was too horrible to bear. All those people, dead. People on both sides he knew who were his friends. No, he couldn't tell Meehan about that dream. He couldn't tell anyone about it. At least until he figured out what it meant...

& & & & &

Nicki had taken a few calming breaths. Then she straightened herself and asked, looking around at everyone: "So what do we have so far?"  
"Well," Odin said as he stepped forward, "we are quite sure by now that Steve didn't transform before because it seems the Ashon mature in power at the age of 20. So it's the most likely scenario that Steve simply wasn't able to transform before, because he was lacking that power. Also the fact that his own force field didn't work that night could be related to that."  
"Yeah," Piper now went on, "it seems that's a defense mechanism of the young Ashon, since they are less strong, and it seems they lose that ability when they do grow up."  
Nicki frowned at this: "Why did Steve never say anything about this? He read every book about the Ashon he could find..."  
Now everyone looked down, avoiding eye contact. Only Bianca sighed and then said: "Because he didn't have the right books, Nicki. This library, same as the one of the Elders is very useless when it comes to those demons. But Julian brought us some books a couple of days ago."  
Nicki snorted at this: "So they knew... they knew all along! I always knew it was a bad idea to trust the Source like you did."  
"Hey that's not fair!" Cole and Christopher said at the same time. And then the latter added: "As far as I'm informed, Steve was down with them in the afternoon before... you know..." He couldn't bring himself to say 'before he turned into a demon'. It didn't really fit to the situation. But they understood him anyway: "Julian tried to talk to him, make him see this problem, but Steve didn't listen... he didn't even listen to me, when I tried to talk to him."  
Nicki looked at him with narrowed eyes, than nodded. She knew how Steve had acted the last days before the event. God, that evening when they had that pick nick she really thought things would be fine, now... How wrong she was... But she had to focus now, for him. "Ok... so why doesn't Steve just switch back... I mean, you could do that, too, Cole... Why can't he?"  
Cole shrugged: "I guess he doesn't know how..."  
"And the Ashon surely won't help him," Tom stated with a bitter voice, interrupting the witch.  
Cole just gave him a cold look, then said: "Or they don't know how to do so, either. As far as I know there was never an Ashon-human-mix reported, while I was living down there. And being half human was always a pretty big deal."  
"Why do I have the feeling you defend them all the time?" Tom now asked turning to the EX-demon.  
"Ok, could you please STOP this?" Nicki asked, raising her hands before Cole could give another reply. For a moment there was an uncomfortable silence. Then Nicki asked: "Have we any idea how to get him back and to get him back into his own shape?"  
Christopher was just about to remark that Steve's current appearance was as much his own shape as the other, and that it was time for everyone to accept that.  
But Elenia came first, answering the question: "Not yet... through we have some ideas. We also thought about creating a similar potion that once freed Cole from his demon.  
"NO!" Christopher, Cole and this time also Phoebe and Leo exclaimed. Tom, Veronica and Elenia rolled their eyes at this, feeling that the same discussion would break lose like so many times before in the last days.  
But Nicki turned to Christopher curious, watching him a moment while he faced the female Elder with a frustrated stare. "Why?" she asked then, looking at the others in turn. "Why do you wanna do this, when Christopher says, in the future he's fine with having both sides in him..."  
"Hurray, finally somebody is listening!" Christopher exclaimed, but no one really paid attention to him.  
Instead Elenia tried to argue with her future daughter in law, but Nicki was stubborn. "I won't risk his and our future because of that. If Steve is fine with this, so am I... and dare anyone of you to touch him... Got it!?!?!" With this said she turned to Cole. "If you have a moment, I'd like to talk to you in private..." Cole nodded and followed the young witch out of the room, leaving the - still shocked - others behind.

* * *

_(Chapter 2 written by Kirianna Ledräen and Chrissy.W.x)_


	3. Chapter 3

**A Charmed Story - Fourteen:  
Ashon: Re-Evolution (Freaky Friday 2)  
Chapter 3**

_In the future...  
_Chris suddenly found himself all alone in the living room. With Jim gone to test the potion, hopefully with Wyatt as he'd promised, and Bianca in the kitchen with Melissa, Piper, and his older self, he suddenly felt like he wasn't needed. So he sat on the sofa thinking he could just relax for a change. But as the minutes slowly ticked away, he found himself fidgeting. He felt like he needed to do something or else he would go crazy... Because whenever he had time, he started to think. And with him missing the past he came from, this wasn't a good thing at all.  
Just then he heard a burst of laugher coming from the kitchen, and just as he got up to investigate, he heard a soft cooing nearby. He looked around, curiously, wondering where the sound had come from. And then he saw Liam, sitting in the playpen looking at him. Chris realized Bianca must have put him there without him noticing before going into the kitchen.  
He walked over to him and picked the little boy up. "Hey little buddy. Sorry I didn't see you there. Your mom's really good at hiding things from me in plain sight."  
Liam looked at his young father, smiling, obviously forgiving him. Chris smiled back at the cute little boy, glad he got to see this part of his future.  
Another twenty minutes or so passed by while Chris played with his youngest. And it hadn't been long before he had the boy squealing with delight. He always enjoyed making Hope laugh, and part of him longed to get back and play with her like he was playing with Liam now.  
A more grown up laugh caught his ears then, and he turned to see Bianca watching him with a smile on her face. Right behind her stood Piper, also smiling at the scene in front of them. His older self and Melissa followed behind. The young woman looked much more at ease then before, the shock of having kissed Chris by mistake and the knowledge that Christopher was in the past, having worn off.  
"Chris, we're going to head out now," Piper said as she picked up her purse from the sideboard in the dining room. "We're going to stop by P3 to make sure everything is ready for tonight before I head to the restaurant. Everything is ready for dinner, it just needs to cook. So could you turn on the oven at four o'clock, please?"  
"Of course, mom," Chris said as Bianca took Liam from his arms.  
"After I'm done at P3, I'll be at Magic School, if you need me," older Chris said, picking up the keys from the hallway table. Piper held her hand out for them, waiting until Chris gave up and gave them to her.  
"Thank you, Chris," she said with a smug grin.  
"Oh wait! I just remembered what it was I forgot to get. Can I come along?" Bianca asked, coming up next to her husband, who was just about to go out the door.  
"Of course, sweetheart," he answered smiling down at her.  
"Give me a few minutes. I have to change Liam first," she said before turning and heading towards the bathroom.  
"Okay," he said, letting go of the door handle.  
"I can change him for you. And watch him," past Chris offered, moving to intercept Bianca.  
"That's okay. I have to meet Phoebe in half an hour for some shopping anyway, and she wants to spoil him," the Phoenix said, declining his offer.  
"I can't wait until she has grandkids of her own to spoil," both Chrises said in unison, causing everyone to laugh.  
"Me too," Piper said smiling broadly.  
"You just want her to have grandkids so you can spoil them," the older Elder-witch said, smiling mischievously.  
"Of course. She's my little sister. It's perfect payback," she said, mirroring her son's grin.  
"I'll be right back," Bianca said, laughing, as she left the room. Melissa, who'd kept quiet during the family moment, moved forward now.  
"I guess I should go, too. I have so many things to do before Chrissie comes home. It was nice seeing everyone. And it was nice to meet... you, Chris," she said a little awkwardly, before heading for the door.  
"Here, let me," the older Chris said, opening the door for her, while suppressing a smirk. The second the door was closed behind her, he started laughing. Piper lightly backhanded him in the chest.  
"It's not funny," she said, starting to laugh herself.  
Past Chris started to turn red then, knowing that they were laughing about what had happened when Melissa had arrived. "Why don't you two go wait in the car for Bianca? I'm sure she'll be there any minute," he said, not liking the smirks they were sending at him.  
"Nah. It's much more fun waiting here and teasing you," his older self said.  
"Don't you mean teasing you?" the younger Elder-witch said smugly. The older one's face dropped. Piper burst out laughing again.  
"I'm going to go wait in the car," older Chris said, slightly annoyed, and headed out the door. The other two started to laugh again for a minute or two.  
As her laughing quieted, Piper looked around the room and noticed the mess on the dining room table. "Chris?" she asked.  
"Yes mom?" he answered, feeling like he was about to be grounded.  
"Can you clean up your mess in the dining room while I'm gone?" she said, motioning to the table with her eyes.  
Chris followed her gaze, and sighed. "Yeah, of course," he said, turning back to her.  
"Okay, we're ready. Where's Chris?" Bianca said as she came back to the foyer.  
"He's waiting for us in the car. So we should get going. Later Chris," Piper said, while opening the door.  
"Say bye to daddy," Bianca said lifting Liam's little hand to wave at Chris.  
"You're going to confuse him doing that," the Elder-witch said, laughing.  
"Oh, pff. See you later, Chris," she said, as she walked out the door, Piper following. Chris stared at the door for a minute, shaking his head. Then, taking a breath, he turned around and went to work cleaning up the mess he and Jim had made.

& & & & &

_Back in our time..._  
Nicki and Cole walked a little down the corridor to one of the empty classrooms. Nicki wondered why there were no kids around, but Cole explained to her that, due to the circumstances, they had decided to give the kids some more days off, until the situation was solved. Nicki was glad about this, knowing she wouldn't be able to teach her class those days.  
"So, how can I be of service?" Cole asked as he sat down in one of the chairs. He did not really feel comfortable, with Nicki pacing in front of the board, actually he felt like being a kid in school... Not that he ever really was at any school when he was a kid...  
"Well," Nicki began as she was still busy walking a hole in the ground, "I wanna know what it was like..."  
Cole sighed. "Nicki, I..."  
"No..." she interrupted him. "I know this is very personal, but I need to know... I need to know to understand him. Christopher said I will be fine with both his sides... But, I feel that I need to understand all this first..." She shook her head looking at the former half-demon with desperate eyes: "Please..."  
Cole sighed again, but then nodded: "Ok... What do you wanna know?"  
"First I wanna know..." Nicki said as she sat down on a chair in front of him, but turning so that she faced him, "those two sides... do they have two different consciousnesses???"  
Cole stayed calm for a moment, thinking how to put into words what he wanted to say. "That's hard to explain," he finally said, "but no, I do think there is just one consciousness, but... well it's hard to explain."  
"Please try it," the woman said, grabbing his hand.  
"Well... as Cole I felt like I'm in control, calm, collected. And when I was Belthazor I was passionate, wild, animal-like. It's like if you would let all your bad traits out at once. But also the good traits become stronger, rawer, more passionate... just usually there aren't many good things in a demon's soul. .. But Steve is a half-demon, he was raised as human, so he should know the good things as well."  
Nicki nodded at this, trying her best to understand. Then she asked: "So Steve is still Steve?" Cole nodded. "So he still loves me?"  
Cole sighed again at this, then said: "If you want to know if he would hurt you, then I can't answer that. Yes, I am sure he still feels love for you, but that is no guarantee when he lets the demon control himself. And..."  
"And...?" Nicki asked, her eyes sad now, after Cole's last words.  
"And I'm not sure if he knows what's going on right now... I mean, I grew up with being both, human and demon. But he never did. He just turned into something that he most likely doesn't understand. So my guess would be that he's in some kind of shock. It's the most likely thing, I believe."  
"So you think he might not remember me, or be in denial or something."  
"It's possible... through we don't know... And we won't until we find him."  
Nicki nodded, then asked: "You believe he's with the other Ashon?"  
Cole nodded: "Most likely, yes... As demon he'll understand that they are his family, too. He'll know that they will help him to control his new powers, which he now has. You know... he surely has a few new powers by now..."  
The woman nodded again. All this was a lot to take in and the simple picture of her future husband sitting together with those demons was scaring the hell out of her. "What will it be like for him, down there?"  
Now Cole leaned back in the chair, watching her intensely. He wasn't sure how much he should really tell her, because he wasn't sure on whose side she was on. Was she one of those who wanted Steve to find peace in who he was, or was she one of those who wanted to get rid of the demon in him. But her earlier comments let him doubt that the latter was the case... So he said: "Well... he's half human. So they will treat him good. He can be a big advantage for them. Also what I know from my time as half-demon, they seemed to have some human-like social structure. They seemed to care for each other. And that's also what the books Julian gave us, are saying. So yes, I guess he's fine. I truly doubt they would hurt him."  
"But they kill witches, don't they?"  
"Well, you kill demons..." Cole replied casually. And when he saw the look she gave him he added: "For them he isn't a witch, or Elder for that matter. He's Ashon, one of them. They won't hurt him. He will live like one of them down there... Ok, that might sound bad, but... it's in his nature. That life he leads down there now, it is a part of him, too. And you can't deny him that. If you want to accept both his sides, then you have to accept it all, without exception."  
Nicki nodded. For a moment they kept silent, while Nicki thought what else to ask. But at this moment she had no idea. All the information was a lot to take in. She would need some time to think things through. So finally she looked at Cole again and tried to smile at him: "Thanks for being so honest and open. I really appreciate it."  
"You're welcome," Cole replied with a nod, hoping that she really could deal with all this.

& & & & &

In the library of magic school there was meanwhile a fight going on, a fight over the same old question...  
"Don't you think you revealed a little too much about the future, by saying this to her?" Elenia had asked Christopher as soon as Nicki had left with Cole.  
The witch-Elder had looked at her, his face clearly showing his anger: "What? Shall I keep my mouth shut so that you'll be able to destroy him???"  
Of course that angered Elenia even more. How could this boy imply she would hurt her own son? She just wanted to safe him from his demonic blood. The Elder simply couldn't understand why her son could like to be a demon... as Christopher had put it earlier.  
And Tom and Veronica joined her in her argumentation, remarking that Steve always fought against the Ashon, since the day that he knew about them.  
On the other hand Piper and Leo stood on Christopher's side, same as Odin, who always would support his godson, no matter what. Also Phoebe remarked that it doesn't have to be bad to be a demon, through she wasn't sure herself why she thought this way. Cole had been a half- demon, too, and that did not end good. But then again, Steve was raised as human, not as demon like Cole had been. Somehow she just knew that Steve was one of the good guys, no matter what.  
So the arguments were thrown at each other while Paige, Silas and Bianca watched the scene from the side. The three of them tried their best to stay out of this, since somehow they saw the right in both points of view. Through for Paige the neutrality didn't last much longer.  
"Who knows if it's even true what you say?" Tom suddenly remarked looking at Christopher. "Maybe Steve gave you a bad mark in one of the classes and now you want to get rid of him, by sending him to those demons."  
"What???" Christopher asked not believing his ears. But he couldn't say more because Paige was faster.  
The witch-whitelighter was more than pissed, that Tom dared to imply something like this. Christopher was her nephew for God's sake. And none of her family would ever play such a dirty game, especially not a 'Chris'. So she stormed over to the young man, saying: "Vase!" A vase orbed to her hands at this, and with one swift movement she pulled the flowers out and threw the water into Tom's face. "HOW DARE YOU!" she exclaimed. "How dare you to even think something like this!"  
The poor half-Phoenix was too shocked to react so Paige went on: "You of all people should know that Christopher is right. You know Steve better than any of us. But really, if you think it's a wise idea to kill half of him, well maybe then we should do the same with you, since you aren't 100% witch either!"  
Bianca looked to Silas at this, but the Elder just rolled his eyes... This was getting them no where - again. They had this fight so much often in the last days and it always resulted in a few hours of sulking instead of researching.  
Tom, his face now red in pure anger, just wanted to throw back another heated comment, when orblights filled the room.  
"Would you please stop this ridiculous fight?" they heard Jeremiah's voice. The Elder orbed in together with Lyta a grim look on his face. He turned to Elenia with serious eyes. "You can't kill the demon in Steve, except you plan to destroy him!"  
"What shall that mean?" Steve's mom asked confused.  
"What he said," Lyta gave back.  
"We talked to the Oracle again," Jeremiah explained. "And that made us understand some things. Therefore we did some research and you won't like what we found." He took a breath before he went on. "It is possible to kill the demon inside him, true, but... there have been lots of cases like this reported in history, from casual exorcism to highly magical procedures... It nearly always worked."  
"So that's good," Tom interrupted him.  
Jeremiah just rose an eyebrow at the young man and said: "Shut up boy, now the adults do talk."  
Tom's face became even redder, and he was about to explode but a hand on his shoulder from Elenia stopped him. "What is the 'but'?" she asked.  
The other Elder nodded. „In 9 of 10 cases, where the procedure was successful, the magical core of the patient was violated in a terrible way which let the poor being become insane."

& & & & &

Victor and Kyle were still sitting at the kitchen table, talking about this and that. Victor truly liked this young man, and also Kyle enjoyed talking to the other. Especially because he knew some very nice stories about the Halliwells... So Victor just told him about Chris' wedding and all the things that had happened around that, when Wyatt ran into the kitchen and to his grandfather's side.  
"Hey buddy," Victor said, as he ruffled the boy's hair, "Don't you want to play anymore?"  
"No... I'm hungry," Wyatt said making the two adults smile.  
"So? Hungry are you, huh? Well, then I should make you something, right?" the older men asked and Wyatt nodded eagerly, making Kyle chuckle. Those kids were really cute.  
"Well," Victor then asked, "what about your brother and niece? Are they hungry, too?" The boy nodded again.  
Victor nodded, too, and stood up, while saying. "Well buddy... then go back and play a little more while Kyle and I will make you something... How about pasta?" The boy nodded, smiling brightly, and ran off again.  
Kyle followed him with his eyes until Victor suddenly turned to him again: "Do you like to feed the little ones?"  
"Me?" Kyle asked startled.  
"Sure... if you want to..."  
"But, don't they... I mean, won't they..." he blushed, "aren't their mothers still... you know... breast-feeding them?"  
Victor looked at him for a moment, amused by Kyle's embarrassment, and had to suppress a chuckle. Then he explained: "Well, not completely. Both Piper and Bianca have started to give them also those baby-food in glasses." Kyle visibly relaxed at this, while the other went on: "If you like you can pick out something and heat it in a water bath. But I'm not really sure yet what they like and what not. Christopher spit all the mashed potatoes on me yesterday, so I suggest you wear an apron when you feed them."  
Kyle laughed at this, imagining Victor covered in baby food. Then he stood up as well. "Ok... I'm in, where have they stored the glasses?

& & & & &

Time seemed to disappear as Belthazor continued reading the mysterious book. In it were some entries that came across as something you'd find in the demonic version of National Geographic. Others were like reading the incoherent writings of a schizophrenic. So far, most of the former part (in case it dealt with the Ashon), Julian had already informed him of, with his continued spying. As for the later, it was giving him a headache trying to decipher them. And the worst part, Belthazor was sure they were prophecies. Trying to find one that dealt with Steve was proving to be very difficult.  
So Belthazor had forced himself from his chair and was now sitting at the desk, pencil and paper ready at hand in case there was anything of interest for him to note. And notes he had. He'd been going back over the same passages, both the histories and the prophecies, compiling anything of interest, looking for any clues that would help him save Steve. And everything he found seemed to add to the possibility that the Ashon were not what they thought.

& & & & &

While Belthazor was reading, Julian was out again, visiting the cave of the Ashon. He had just arrived when he saw a crowd around the alcove where Steve slept in. He wondered what was going on there, but because nearly everyone was standing there, close by, he didn't dare to move closer. So he watched from the distance as the demons finally left again, to go back to whatever they had been doing. He watched how that one Ashon took care of Steve like he had seen her do before. She seemed to truly care for the young man, like a mother or big sister would do. When things had calmed down around them he finally decided to risk to move closer. He just reached them when Meehan left his side to get some food.  
Julian sighed as he watched Steve, or Tevaal closely. His eyes looked a little haunted and he was covered in sweat. 'He probably had a nightmare again,' the demonic witch thought. And he wondered if this had anything to do with those ceremonies during which Tevaal usually screamed so terribly that it made his blood freeze. Or maybe these dreams had to do with his forgotten memories? Julian wasn't sure.  
Moments later Meehan returned to Tevaal's side, with two bowls in hand. One she handed him together with a spoon.  
"Thanks," he said and started to eat what looked like gruel or something.  
The other bowl Meehan put on her side after she had sat down next to him. "You know... when you are done eating I have to prepare you for the next potion," she said.  
Tevaal grimaced at this: "Do I really have to???"  
The female Ashon looked at him with sympathy. "I'm truly sorry that you have to suffer this much. I've talked to the oldest of the clan and they can't explain it either. Their theory is that it's because you are so old Tevaal, older then you should be when you drink those potions. So it's harder for you to accept its effects on you. The younger ones never have such problems..." Tevaal nodded.  
Also Julian had listened carefully. To say he was surprised by those words was an understatement. More and more it seemed they had been wrong in some believes about the Ashon? But he needed to find out more...  
Meanwhile Tevaal had finished his 'dinner' and had taken off his torn and dirty shirt. And while Julian was still there, invisible, watching them, he could see how Meehan put her finger into the bowl and started to paint some markings with it all over the other's body, with a deep red liquid that looked a lot like blood.  
"How much more?" Tevaal suddenly asked.  
Meehan smiled at him: "Just two more... then you'll be truly a grown up Ashon."  
Julian didn't like those words... Maybe they had less time then they thought... Anyway, he'd stay there, observing. And maybe, just maybe there would be a chance to find out more about those mysterious potions. Maybe that knowledge would make things clearer for them...

& & & & &

_Meanwhile in the future..._  
Chris sat on the kitchen table, drinking some milk. With the kids being at magic school; the older Chris and Paige being there too; Jim and Wyatt hunting demons, Phoebe and Bianca being out for shopping; Leo being up there; and Piper working at the restaurant, he was almost alone in the manor. Only Cole was in the attic, still training with Matthew. But Chris enjoyed this little break, through he couldn't help to feel a little sad again. The last week, since he had arrived, had been so full of surprises, that now he enjoyed it to be able to relax a little, to think about all that had happened. But too much thinking wasn't good for him, since it made him sad that he couldn't share all this with his family from the past... especially his Bianca.  
Suddenly he heard a noise from the hallway. He stood up, curious, and went to the door to see what was going on. But when he reached the door, he stopped.  
There, at the bottom of the stairs stood Julian and a man, a demon as it seemed. They stood close to each other, whispering. Julian put his arms around the demon's waist, looking him in his eyes. Meanwhile the demon caressed Julian's cheek and then put his arms around his neck. They smiled at each other and then... they kissed.  
Chris was shocked when he saw that. He had expected everything but that... Julian and a man? A male demon? That was crazy.  
The demon had a very white skin with some slightly darker lines all over his body (as far as Chris could see) as if the color had been removed from his skin completely. His hair was black and his eyes were an angry red but his face seemed peaceful and friendly. He was tall and well built. The Elder-witch thought about it, but he couldn't remember having seen a demon like him before.  
Chris shook his head. This was really hard to get into his mind. But still he smiled. He was happy that Julian had found somebody. He deserved that... Through they were a weird couple, not only because there was this huge contrast in their outer appearance since Julian's skin was almost black.  
And Chris noticed also something else... it seemed to him that Julian hadn't aged in the past 23 years... or at least not as much as he should have.  
The couple hadn't noticed Chris yet. They were still kissing each other lovingly. Then they all heard someone clear his throat.  
Chris hid behind the door to the kitchen, while the others looked up to the stairs, where Cole stood smiling.  
"Hey there," he greeted with a low voice and walked down to them. "What are you two doing here?"  
"We wanted to ask how far you got with our client...?" the demon replied. His voice was kind of familiar to Chris, but he wasn't sure. Something just didn't fit into this picture.  
"Well..." Cole replied, "I'm working on that... but you shouldn't be here because we have a visitor from the past."  
"Yeah, we know," Julian said.  
"Then you should know how risky it is for you to be here... he isn't allowed to know about you, before..." Cole whispered back very quietly. The rest Chris couldn't understand. Then the Elder-witch saw Julian and the demon nod. And short after that they both shimmered away.  
Then Chris saw his uncle coming over to the kitchen. Quickly he sat back on the table, pretending that nothing had happened... For a moment he thought about asking his uncle about this, but then... he believed in his uncle and when he said he wasn't supposed to know... 'Future consequences,' he thought smiling. No, he wouldn't ask. And so he simply smiled when Cole walked in.  
"Hey, buddy," Cole greeted tiredly as he entered the kitchen and went over to the fridge, "Where is the rest?"  
"Out," Chris replied shortly.  
Cole rose an eyebrow, then he closed the fridge again, placed the two bottles of juice at the side of the table and sat down in front of his nephew. "Ok, what's bothering you?"  
Chris grinned at that. Cole could always read him very well. "I'm a little bit bored," he answered therefore truthfully, while staring at his glass of milk. "Which means I have time to think... which in this case is not good."  
"Why not?" Cole asked casual.  
"Well... Thinking makes me sad, because I think about the... the past. And I miss it. I never thought it would be like this, but I do miss it. And on the other hand I know going back there will be sad, too, because I can tell no one what I learned here... You know what I mean?"  
Cole nodded grinning. Then he said: "Well, first of all it's a good thing that you miss the past, your own time, because that's where you belong now. And second... Well as far as I know, before you leave everyone will tell you something, some little fact, which you can pass on to their past selves..."  
Now Chris looked up. "Really? But what about future consequences???"  
Cole laughed at this: "Well... It's nothing important of course, but something we were happy to hear from you. Like in my case... You told me that I'm still good in the future."  
Chris grinned: "What a surprise. We all thought you'd turn evil every moment..."  
Cole laughed even more. Before he calmed down and explained: "You didn't tell us any relevant thing, actually those things you told us, or will tell us, were all pretty predictable anyway. But you could give us something which stopped us from questioning you any further. And I guess it made you feel better, too."  
The Elder-witch nodded smiling: "I guess that is most likely true..."  
Cole grinned while standing up and grabbing the juice again. "What do you think? Do you like to help me train your son? He's getting better quickly, and I doubt you'll be in danger... plus you wouldn't be so alone."  
Chris nodded as he stood up: "Sounds great... Let's go." And so they both headed for the stairs.

& & & & &

_In the present..._  
The discussion in the library picked up again, everyone up in arms for one reason or another. Elenia refused to allow her son to retain his demon half, even if insanity was the only solution. Tom was afraid he'd lose his best friend if that part of him wasn't destroyed, and, of course, Veronica sided with him. On the other hand, Christopher's future knowledge allowed him to believe in Steve, and know he'd be okay. Piper, Leo, Phoebe, Paige, and Odin all believed in Christopher, and knew he had no reason to lie. Jeremiah and Lyta, despite the lack of future knowledge, knew it would be in Steve's best interest to not split and vanquish his demonic side. Bianca and Silas still remained silent, still seeing both sides clearly.  
Jeremiah had tried to explain what killing Steve's demonic side would mean, that splitting it off from the whole would mean destroying half his soul, half of who he was. But Elenia couldn't live with the idea that her son was a demon. So the arguing continued even more fiercely.  
"You would be willing to sacrifice who Steve is as a whole, than let his demonic side live?" Christopher accused her. They were staring each other down, neither one giving an inch.  
"He's my son! I would do anything to keep him safe!" Elenia shot back, infuriated.  
"Safe? You'd be killing a part of him!!!" Christopher yelled, a fire in his green eyes.  
"He's my son! I won't let him become a monster!" she glared at him, her words venom.  
Piper jumped in, squeezing herself between Elenia and Christopher: "He's always been half demon, Elenia! He was never a monster before! What makes you think he will be now?"  
"Who are you to talk to me about my son?! Do you even realize everything your own sons have done? The danger they've all put us in?"  
"Excuse me?"  
"Are you kidding?"  
"My sons?"  
"What?"  
"Who the Hell..." Christopher, Paige, Piper, Leo and Phoebe all said at the same time, shocked by the Elder's accusations, and wondering how she's made that leap. Bianca's demeanor changed at the accusation. Anger started pulling at her insides, and it didn't matter anymore that she understood both sides. Elenia had just attacked the man she loved, and everything he'd done to save Wyatt and the future. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. It was all she could do to keep from joining in the fight.  
"Accepting his demonic side is not something Steve would ever do! He hates the Ashon with a passion!" Tom spoke up before anyone else, yelling just as loudly.  
"YOU! SHUT THE HELL UP AND SIT DOWN!!!" Bianca yelled above everyone else, startling them, especially Tom, whom she was glaring at. "Who do you think you are? Of everyone here, you should be the most sympathetic to Steve!" she continued, finally letting all the anger loose. "You who are half-Phoenix! The Phoenix aren't exactly known for being good now, are they?"  
"I..."  
"I told you to shut up!" Bianca said, walking over to face Tom down. "The Phoenix are assassins. Killers. We're hired by demons to hunt down and kill witches and other demons. That's what we are! That's what we do! And here you are, judging your best friend for being half-demon, when you practically are yourself. And yet, here you stand, in Magic School, a place protected from evil! And a place that Steve has also stood. Now before you say another word, I want you to put yourself in Steve's shoes. To really put yourself in his shoes, and tell me, do you really, truly believe that Steve would want you to kill part of him? To make him any less of who he already is? To make it so that even his closest, dearest loved ones wouldn't recognize him anymore? And that he would no longer recognize? Even if there was another way to save him?" Tom looked at her gape mouthed, not sure if it was even safe for him to speak. Everyone in the room was staring at her, shocked by her outburst. A little smile slowly crept unto Christopher's lips. He was seeing now, very clearly, why Chris didn't cross her very often.  
At that moment, Elenia noticed his smirk, and the shock wore off. "Of course he'd want that! He would never, ever want anything to happen to his family! And if that meant eliminating the bad part of him..."  
"Enough!" Elenia was cut off by a new, fierce voice in the room. Everyone turned to see who it was, and saw Nicki and Cole standing in the doorway. And Nicki looked incensed.  
They all had been too preoccupied to notice that they had returned... And now Nicki didn't give them any time to speak, since she herself stepped closer to her future mother in law and said: "I will not let you do this. I do understand this now, and because I do, I will not let you hurt the man I love!"  
"But..." Elenia tried.  
"No buts... If you don't play along be sure I'll find a way to trap you somewhere until hell freezes over."  
"I'm his mother!" Elenia protested.  
"Yeah a mother who left him alone when he needed you the most..." Nicki knew those were hard words, and she knew it wasn't fair, but it worked at least in one way: it made Elenia, who had been ready to protest again, shut her moth, pale, and slowly she sat down on a chair.  
"That was mean," Tom commented.  
Nicki replied with a firm voice: "Maybe, but I won't let her hurt him, and neither will I let you do so..."  
At this moment someone cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... If this is a bad moment I..."  
Phoebe smiled at the young student, sensing his fear to have maybe crossed an invisible border by interrupting them: "Drew... it's ok, what do you want?"  
"I have the book Miss Matthews was asking for..."  
Paige smiled at the young man and took the book from him, saying: "Thank you, I knew you could find it."  
Drew smiled a little embarrassed then he turned to leave. But before he had even made three steps he turned around again. Taking a deep breath he said to them: "I'm sorry, I overheard some of what you said and... Mr. Moody is one of the best teachers at this school. He always was... If something would happen to him, we'd all miss him greatly. And... well, non of us cares that he's half demon... in fact we always thought it's pretty cool." The sisters, and also Nicki and Christopher smiled at the student.  
Elenia through had none of that. "Cool?" she exclaimed making Drew lower his head. "No, he's not cool, he's possessed by a monster."  
But now Nicki saw red: "What? Steve always was half-Ashon and he was never a monster! But... Now I guess I understand... You just can't stand it that he looks like his father now, like the man who raped you!"

* * *

_(Chapter 3 written by Kirianna Ledräen and Chrissy.W.x)_


	4. Chapter 4

**A Charmed Story - Fourteen:  
Ashon: Re-Evolution (Freaky Friday 2)  
Chapter 4**

_In the future...  
_When Chris entered the attic after his uncle, he was surprised to see his son completely worked up, sweaty and breathing heavily. He hadn't expected this training to be so exhausting.  
"Thanks," Matthew said as he took the juice and drank it all at once. The he remarked: "Took you long enough..."  
"Sorry," Cole replied grinning, "I had a little chat with your dad... You don't mind him joining, do you?" He then went to one of the shelves and grabbed a...  
"A mirror?" Chris questioned frowning, as Cole gave the silver thing to him. It was round-shaped and on the back was some holder.  
His uncle grinned at him: "Of course. Those mirrors are enchanted to deflect energy balls. Thought you know that."  
"Not yet..." he said and stepped closer, while Cole closed a force field around the three of them – no one wants to destroy the furniture, right?  
"So how are we going to do this?" Chris asked a little uncomfortable.  
His son shook his head and then turned to Cole: "You really think it's a good idea to let him join in the fun?"  
"Don't play the smart-ass card on me young man," Cole replied. Then he added: "Don't worry, your dad is capable of defending himself." And finally he explained to Chris: "It's easy... he attacks, you try to not get hurt."  
Chris frowned: "Yeah, easy..."  
"Yeah," Matthew replied teasingly, "see..." And with this he threw an energy ball at Cole who let it be deflected by another mirror, right back and the teen who redirected it into the force field where it was extinguished.  
Cole then looked at the Elder-witch again and added: "Try to stay at the rim of the forcefield so that you don't step into your son's path."  
"Ok," Chris said, "but I won't need the mirror, since..."  
"Don't try it," Cole said, "your older version tried it, but the space here is so little that even he had problems. Plus: your powers are still a little off since you discovered your freezing-power, right?"  
"Right," the Elder-witch grumbled, clearly not liking to be reminded of that fact.  
Matthew smirked: "Ok, when all is solved... let's go!" And the next second an energy ball was flying into Chris' direction. He barely had time to raise the mirror before he got hit in the head. Swearing he watched as his son skillfully moved out of the way of the swirling object, while at the meantime he threw another one at Cole...  
So their training-fight went on for a good 10 minutes, all the while the pace speeding up. Chris really was amazed about how easy this seemed to be for his son. Sure he was all worked up, but still his movements seemed so smooth, so natural. He was pretty sure that this was the influences of his wife's genes. Because all this reminded him of her, of how Bianca trained himself a lifetime ago...  
But then things turned an unexpected way. Matthew lost a little of his control and one of the energy balls that went flying back at him almost hit him. He could re-direct it in the last second but unfortunately he send it right back at Cole, who - distracted by Chris' panic filled scream of "Matthew!" - got hit in the shoulder, falling backwards into the force filed by the impact.  
"Damn it!" he hissed as he let the mirror drop to hold his wounded shoulder, while he tried to get into a more comfortable, seated position.  
Chris wanted to heal him, but before he could, Matthew was by his side and healed him while muttering. "I'm sorry..."  
Cole shook his head: "It's ok, don't worry..."  
The Elder-witch watched in amazement how his son used that power. "You... you can heal?" he almost whispered the question.  
Cole turned to him then, through he talked to the teen who was still busy: "Your dad is a genius, isn't he?"  
Matthew smiled at that and then said to his father: "Of course I can... I have your genes as well. And it comes in handy when I hurt my training partner..."  
Chris had to laugh at that, because his son reminded him so much of himself at that moment. But then he said: "I know, I... I just meant I hadn't expected that... Do my other kids have that power, too?"  
"Hope has," Cole said.  
"For the rest we don't know yet..." Matthew added as he finished the healing.  
Chris just nodded as his uncle got back to his feet. Then he asked frowning: "Why do you two train together anyway... I mean you have no active power to defend yourself." The last words were directed at Cole.  
The oldest of the three smiled at this: "But I know a lot about this power since I once had it myself. And your son doesn't like to train with his mom."  
"Yeah... she's such a perfectionist." The boy shuddered at this, making Chris smile. Then Matthew went on: "Usually I do train with Andy, since he grew up with that power, but he's in the underworld at the moment..."  
"Andy?" Chris asked, having never heard this name before. "Underworld? Who? Why???"  
"He's doing that growing-up-thingy, you know? He's Ste..."  
"He's a friend," Cole said, while he sent a warning glare at the teen.  
But Chris already caught onto it. "Ste?" he asked. And after a moment of thinking he added: "You mean Steve? Is he...?"  
Matthew was about to answer something but shut his mouth when Cole said: "Remember what your father told you about certain things..."  
Chris rose an eyebrow at this: "So there are more things that you are not telling me, then...?"  
Now the older one smirked: "Of course... Some things we are simply not meant to tell you... Those you'll have to find out on your own."  
The Elder-witched grimaced at this, but then shook his head. "Let's continue then." And with that said he grabbed the mirror from the floor, ready for the next round.

& & & & &

_Meanwhile in our time..._  
A car came down the road to the manor. On the wheel a man, tanned by the sun and with a bright smile on his face. By his side sat a woman, equally tanned and smiling, looking really fresh and relaxed.  
Michael and Angela had had spent two wonderful weeks in Australia. Actually it was a business trip, but Michael had arranged it that he could take his wife with him, and also have a few days to relax. But since the other day they were back in good old San Francisco and now they wanted to see their friends and Godchild to give them the gifts and souvenirs they brought with them. So he parked their car in front of the manor.  
Looking out of the window, Angela wondered out loud: "This looks so calm..."  
Michael followed her eyes and shrugged: "Maybe they aren't home, but we can't be sure if we don't ring." With this said he left the car and went around it to open the door for his wife.  
"Oh... the perfect gentleman, as always," she teased him before giving him a kiss.  
He smiled at her before taking the bag from the backseat. Then he offered her his arm and together they climbed up the stairs to the front door, where Angela pushed the bell.  
For a moment nothing happened, everything was calm. The couple was about to go back when suddenly they head some noises from the inside, followed by some swearing. Then a few moments later the door was opened and Michael and Angela couldn't help but laugh.  
In front of them stood Kyle, dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans, and to top that he was over and over covered in dots of some orange mash.  
"What the hell happened to you?" Angela asked, who had recovered from her fit of laughter first. "That wasn't a demon, was it?"  
Kyle turned to the still laughing Michael and said with faked anger: "No... Your sweet Godchild happened to me. Apparently she doesn't like mashed carrots."  
"Well, it seems little princess has her own taste... or she wanted to create a new shirt design for you..." Michael finally managed to say.  
But before Kyle could reply something, Angela asked: "Can we come in? We wanted to visit Bianca, Chris and Hope and give them some little gifts from Australia..."  
Kyle sighed as he stepped aside to let them in: "Yeah of course... Through there is nobody home, except Victor, the kids and me... But you can have a coffee if you want and you can help feed the little monsters."  
"Of course we like to help... Where is everyone then?" Michael asked curious as they walked through the hallway.  
"I hope nothing bad happened," Angela added.  
Kyle shrugged: "Depends on how you see it... As far as I understood it one of their friends turned into a demon and Chris is not Chris but Christopher... But..."  
"WHAT?" both newcomers interrupted him.  
Kyle just rose his hands: "But the explanations I better leave to the others since I'm really no expert yet when it comes to all that magic things... I better get Bianca." Then for a moment he wondered how to do that the easiest way. Then he smiled and looked up to the ceiling, calling: "PAIGE? HONEY, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, CAN YOU SEND BIANCA HOME PLEASE? SHE HAS GUESTS!!!"

& & & & &

Meehan was almost done with preparing Tevaal for the ceremony when a young Ashon girl of maybe 14 years appeared in front of the alcove. Her body was covered in the same painted picture like Tevaal's. "Hello," she said shyly.  
Tevaal smiled at her: "Hello Shikara, how are you doing?" He had met her before. She had eagerly told him that one time he wouldn't be the only one drinking the potion, because for her it was time to drink it, too.  
The girl smiled but then admitted: "I'm a little nervous."  
"Don't be," he said, "I'm neither. You know it'll be a good thing. And you'll feel better after that."  
"I know," the girl said. And lowering her head she added: "I'm more worried about you."  
Tevaal smiled at this and pulled her into a hug, but careful to not destroy the artwork on their bodies. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."  
Meehan had watched the scene with a smile. She was glad that Tevaal took things more or less easy, through she knew how much this hurt him every time. But now, that the sound of drums could be heard, she stood up and said: "Come on you two... it's time!" And with this she led them to the other Ashon who had formed a circle around a fireplace. She led them right into the center, where Koran-Dil, the oldest of their clan was already waiting for them.  
Meanwhile Julian watched the scene from the outside. But he couldn't see too much since the Ashon had formed a close circle around the others. And through - except for the three in the center - they were all sitting, he couldn't see much more than their heads. He noticed that the oldest began to speak but it was so low that Julian couldn't understand what was said. For a moment he thought about risking to move closer but then Julian noticed movement within the group.  
Meehan had noticed the newcomer first, an Ashon around her own age was standing in the entrance to the big cave. She smiled at him, then she whispered something to the one sitting next to her and stood up. As soon as she left the circle, the one beside her moved a little to close the gab.  
Meehan meanwhile went over to the newcomer to great him: "Hello Batim, it's so good to see you. How are you, how is Fegal?"  
The male Ashon pulled her into a hug and then said: "It's good to see you, too, and Fegal and I are fine. She would have come, too, but with carrying twins it was too risky for her to leave the security of the cave... Even more I doubt the travel itself would have done much good for her." Then the man gestured to the circle. "Am I too late?" he asked.  
Meehan shook her head, then guided him to Tevaal's alcove where he left his bag, before they both went over and joined the circle.  
Julian had observed them frowning. 'Who is that?' he thought. Then he turned his attention back to the three persons in the circle. The old Ashon had given the girl a potion. She drank it all at once, then closed her eyes. And Julian had the feeling that she shivered slightly, through he wasn't sure... But there were definitely no screams from that girl. Then she opened her eyes again and everyone around cheered loudly.  
Then the old one offered the potion to Tevaal. The young man took the vial and looked at it for a moment. Everyone around was calm, only the sound of the drums could be heard, giving away a steady rhythm. Then with one fast motion Tevaal drank the potion and again everyone cheered.  
Meanwhile Batim watched the young Ashon with pride in his eyes. This was an important moment for every Ashon, drinking those potions always meant that you matured a little more. It was always a day to celebrate. That's why they all cheered as loud and joyful as they could.  
But then things changed. They all could see that Tevaal squeezed his eyes shut. Batim frowned, and when Tevaal dropped the vial and rose his hands to his head, he was about to jump up because he clearly could see that there was something wrong.  
But Meehan held him back: "No... it's alright..."  
"No... it's not, he's not alright!" he shot back at her.  
Meehan tried to reason with him: "Calm down, I'll explain later, you will just ruin the ceremony for him and Shikara..."  
For a moment that worked, but when Tevaal suddenly groaned in pain and then broke down, there had been nothing that could have stopped Batim anymore. So he jumped up and ran over to the other, effectively stopping the cheers and drums. Everyone was deadly calm as the older Ashon cradled the younger one to his arms. Turning around himself Batim then addressed everyone: "How can you not see and not care about his pain?" Then he carried Tevaal back to his alcove.  
Meehan sighed and then apologized especially to Shikara: "I'm sorry, I hadn't the chance to explain it to him..."  
"It's ok," the young girl said, "I'm worried about him, too." Meehan bowed at this, to show her gratitude.  
Then Koran-Dil spoke to her: "Go and take care of them... both of them."  
Meehan nodded and left. Also the others rose and turned back to their own tasks, since Batim's show destroyed the mood of the celebration and they all felt that a calm exit was better than staying and pitying the young girl for her ruined ceremony.  
Shikara was hugged by her mother who whispered to her: "I'm sorry, this shouldn't have happened..."  
"No mom, it's ok... I knew this would happen, when I share this moment with him. Even without this man's appearance I wouldn't want to celebrate anymore. I just hope it didn't hurt him too much..."  
Julian meanwhile smiled as everyone left the circle. This was his chance. Careful, not to run into an Ashon he walked over to the center of the circle. Searching he looked around until he noticed the vial on the ground, which was cracked into two pieces. Careful he picked up the bottom piece. He smiled when he looked at it, noticing still a drop of potion in it. That would be enough to analyse it. He turned one last look over to the alcove where Meehan and that other guy were taking care of his friend and then shimmered away. But what he didn't know was that by shimmering away he missed an interesting conversation.  
Because right that moment Tevaal woke up again. Groaning he rubbed his hands over his eyes, before he pushed himself up on his elbows and looked around.  
"Oh my... You are awake!" he heard Meehan say, and when he looked to her she asked: "Are you alright?" He nodded slowly, through it still felt as if he had a pack of trolls in his head.  
"That's good... you had me really worried when you broke down," another, unfamiliar voice said, which startled Tevaal and made him sit up.  
"Easy," the male Ashon said worried as he saw the younger one sitting up so fast, "take it slow."  
And also Meehan tried to calm him: "Don't worry. He's a friend of mine."  
Tevaal now looked at him, still skeptical. He hadn't seen him before, so he couldn't be a member of this group, that he was sure of. "Who are you? I haven't seen you before."  
The other one smiled: "That's no miracle, I live in another group a little away from here... I'm Batim and... I'm your half-brother."  
"WHAT?" Tevaal exclaimed not really believing his ears.  
"You heard right," Batim said. "When I was ten, my mom got killed by a witch. After that my father went crazy which in the end led to you..." At this point he made a break not sure how much the other knew. "You do know that you are not 100% Ashon, do you?"  
At this Tevaal looked at the other one for a long moment, not sure what to think about those news. Then he nodded.  
Batim nodded, too, before he continued. "Our father broke a lot of Ashon laws, what he did was so wrong that other Ashon went after him to... to stop him. I grew up with Meehan's family before I finally fell in love and joined my partner's coven..." He made another break in which he looked at Tevaal closely, a huge smile on his face. Then he went on: "I always thought I was alone... And when I found out I have a brother... You can't believe how happy I am to finally meet you." And with this he pulled the younger one into a bone-crushing hug.

& & & & &

_In the future..._  
It had been an hour since Matthew's training session had ended, and now Chris was truly alone in the house. Matthew had headed to Magic School, while Cole had to run out to do some last minute work on a case. He knew Piper wouldn't be back for a couple more hours, and those Elder meetings could take forever, so Leo and Hope wouldn't be back anytime soon. As for Bianca, he knew when Phoebe got shopping, it would take ages to come back home. And then there were Jim and Wyatt. They'd been gone quite a while now, and Chris hoped that nothing bad had happened.  
Chris was suddenly pulled out of his mussing when the old grandfather clock struck four. He looked around the living room, feeling like he'd forgotten something when the memory came back. "Everything is ready for dinner, it just needs to cook. So could you turn on the oven at four o'clock, please?" he remembered Piper asking him before she left. He jumped up off the sofa, and headed into the kitchen. He walked over to the oven, and opened the door, just to see what Piper had made. From the size of the casserole dish, he guessed Piper was expecting a full house tonight for dinner. And it certainly looked good. He was just about to close the oven door when the doorbell rang. So he quickly closed it and turned it on, then headed for the front door.  
When he opened the door, he was shocked to find Julia standing there. Not that she was someone he hadn't expected, but it was the state she was in. She was visibly upset, looked like she hadn't slept in a couple of days, and had obviously been crying. But the most noticeable detail was the fear in her eyes. Chris just stood there, frozen, wondering what had happened to her. It was a moment before either spoke.  
"Is Wyatt here?" she asked, her voice low and trembling. She wouldn't look Chris in the eye.  
"Ah, no. He's out with Jim. Please! Please, come in!" The sound of her voice had broken him out of his shock. He quickly moved aside to let her in, and she obliged. He closed the door behind her, and motioned her to the living room.  
As soon as she was settled on the sofa, he sat across from her on the chair leaning towards her, worry on his face. "Julia, what happened?" That same worry echoed in his voice.  
She just looked around the room, not wanting to meet his gaze. "I need to speak to Wyatt," she said, the fear in her eyes translating into her voice.  
Chris was getting really worried. "Julia, what happened? Are Michael and Angela...?" he began, fear started to creep into his voice now.  
"No! No, they are fine. I just need to talk to Wyatt." His question had clearly shocked her, the fear in her eyes and voice changing to something else. Urgency?  
"Julia, Wyatt's not here right now. If there's anything I can do...?" he tried again, truly wanting to help her.  
"When will he be back?" she asked him now, finally looking up into his eyes. She seemed to be a little calmer now. Like just being in this house was enough.  
"I'm not sure. He went out with Jim. They're testing a potion."  
"Is it alright if I stay until he gets back?" she asked him a little desperately.  
He was taken aback by the question. "Yes, of course! Absolutely! Stay as long as you need to. You're always welcome here," he said, trying to reassure her and letting her know she was safe here as well.  
"Thank you... Chris," she said, not entirely sure if they'd switched back yet.  
Chris laughed. "Yes, I'm still here." He laughed a little more, bringing a small smile to her face.  
The moment passed, and the smile faded, and Chris got serious again. "If there's anything I can do, anything at all?" he asked her again, hoping she'd let him help.  
"I could use a glass of water..." She seemed a little shy asking.  
But he nodded his head, and got up. "Of course, I'll be right back."  
Chris walked into the kitchen again, and grabbed a glass from the cupboard by the sink. He quickly filled it with water, thinking all the time about what could possibly have made Julia so upset and freaked out.  
Just as he was about to enter the living room with her water, he heard a door slam. He stopped where he was for a second, wondering what that was about, then quickly ran into the living room. Only to find that Julia was gone.

& & & & &

_Back in the present..._  
The arguing had started again, but just between Nicki and Elenia this time. Everyone else just stood by, some, heads hung in something like shame or regret, others, in shock. None of them knew what else to do. Just then, Paige heard her name called inside her head._  
__"PAIGE? HONEY, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, CAN YOU SEND BIANCA HOME PLEASE? SHE HAS GUESTS!!!"_  
She knew instantly it was Kyle, and for a fleeting second she thought he might be in danger. But the mention of Bianca and guests made her curious, and wonder who it could be. At that moment, she kind of wished Kyle had magic powers too, so she could communicate with him and find out who Bianca's guests were. But she would have to settle with hearing all about it later when she got home, like everyone else.  
She slowly moved to were Bianca stood, almost like a statue, the only movement, her slow breathing and blinking eyes. Paige leaned in to whisper in her ear.  
"Kyle just called to me. He wants you back home. He said you have guests?" Bianca slowly turned her head to Paige, a strange look on her face. Obviously, she had no idea who was at the house either. She nodded once, then shimmered away.

& & & & &

Michael was sitting on the arm of the living room chair, holding his Goddaughter in his arms, bouncing her on his knee, when Bianca shimmered in. The look of surprise, then pure joy overtook her as she spotted her friends. Angela, who'd been sitting in Michael's chair, got up and gave Bianca a quick hug.  
"Surprise! We're back!" Angela said, pulling away.  
"Welcome back! We've missed you!" Bianca said, a smile engulfing her face. This was such a relief, after all the stress back in the library. It felt good to smile again. Little Hope giggled then, drawing her mother's attention. Michael was making a silly face at her, causing her to laugh and clap her hands. "Hi Michael. Still as childish as ever, I see," Bianca teased him. He sent her a mischievous smile. "So, when are you two going to have one of your own?" Bianca turned to Angela for an answer.  
"Oh, you know, when Michael grows up," she joked.  
Both women laughed, causing Michael to scowl, and Kyle to sneak out of the room and back into the kitchen where Victor was still feeding Wyatt and Baby Christopher. Hope giggled again.  
"That's not funny, Sweetie. Mommy and Auntie Angela really need to learn to be more sensitive." Michael said in a baby voice, then gave Hope a raspberry on the cheek, causing her to laugh even more.  
"Okay, okay, hand her over," Bianca said, taking Hope from a reluctant Michael. "So how was your trip?"  
"It was wonderful. Australia is so beautiful. We did so much stuff," Angela began, clearly wanting to tell Bianca everything, but not knowing where to start.  
"But certainly not as interesting as what's been going on around here," Michael said, before Angela could continue. Bianca blinked at him, surprised. He pointed towards the kitchen where Kyle had fled. "Kyle, he told us something about a friend turning into a demon? And Chris is Christopher?" he asked, curious.  
'So much for getting away from that mess,' Bianca thought bitterly. "You might as well sit down. It's a long story." As soon as they got settled, Bianca went on to tell them everything that had happened over the last week or so. They listened intently as she told them about the spell Christopher had cast that had let him and Chris switch places, and as she told them how the Ashon had seemingly attacked and took a now demon-Steve to the Underworld. They rarely interrupted her, saving most of their questions for when she was done. And when their questions had all been answered to the best of Bianca's abilities, they sat there in silence for a moment. Kyle and Victor had silently entered the living room shortly into her explanation with Wyatt and Baby Christopher. The boys had stayed as quiet as Hope, all three now in the playpen, their little tummies fully satiated.  
"Wow. That's just..." Michael was the first to speak. He was having a hard time to wrap his head around it all. It was almost information overload.  
"You'll be able to save Steve, right? And bring Chris home?" Angela asked, worried for her friends.  
"We'll find a way. If everyone could stop arguing for five minutes..." Bianca grumbled that last sentence, not meaning for them to hear.  
"Arguing? About what?" Michael asked. Apparently she hadn't grumbled low enough. She scowled.  
"Oh, just everything! No one seems to be able to agree on how to deal with Steve's demonic side. About half want to kill the demon, possibly leaving Steve insane. The others want to leave Steve in one piece, demonic powers and all," Bianca explained, exasperated.  
"Sounds like it should be up to Steve, whether or not he wants his demonic side vanquished," Angela said, matter-of-fact-ly. Everyone turned to her. "I mean, he's the one who'd know best if he could handle being half-demon, right?" She looked guiltily between Bianca, Michael, Victor and Kyle. She felt like she's said something wrong, and wasn't sure what their expressions meant. Suddenly, Bianca was on her feet, moving to Angela so fast, that the woman startled. Before she could do anything, Bianca took her face in her hands and laid a kiss on her cheek. "You are a genius!"  
Angela sat there in shock. Michael, Kyle and Victor all looked confused at Bianca, wondering what had come over her. "I'll be back soon!" she said, then, after kissing Hope, she shimmered away.

& & & & &

Rafael walked past some Elders on his way to his quarters. He still felt a little uncomfortable in this world. It had been half a year since he had become a whitelighter, half a year in which his life... or his death, was completely turned upside down. He hadn't got a charge yet... which was a good thing, because he really felt not ready for it. His death had been unfair... he died while he tried to save a woman who was attacked in an alley at night. He had been stupid to help her, but he couldn't help it. It was in his nature to help. And how did God thank that him? He made him immortal so that he could help more people like that, while all he wished was being in heaven now and finally rest... And to top it all, since a couple of days he felt somehow weird. He couldn't really describe it, but it felt as if there was something inside his mind that doesn't belong there... And that was pretty disturbing.  
While he thought that, he passed a large door. It was a door like many others up there, it was white and had some ornaments on it... But something was off with that door. And then he noticed it. The door was vibrating. 'What the hell...' he thought. And then turned his eyes upwards muttering: "Sorry..."  
He carefully stepped closer to the door and put a hand on it... Yeah, the door was definitely vibrating. Looking around it seemed that no one else noticed it – not that everyone was near anyway. A little worried about what's going on in there he knocked.  
No answer...  
He knocked again.  
No answer...  
He sighed, thinking about what to do. Then he shrugged and carefully opened the door to take a look inside. But when he did there was only darkness greeting him. And a sound that was like a beat, fitting to the vibrations he had felt earlier.  
He frowned unsure what to do. But curiosity got the best out of him, so he slowly stepped inside. One step... and another...  
BANG!  
Startled he turned around when the door slammed shut behind him, through in the darkness he couldn't see anything. But then the whole room was bathed in light and when he turned around again Rafael was looking at a shining ball that was hovering in the middle of the room.  
"What? Who... What is this?" he asked scared.  
A snicker was heard, then a voice filled the room. "I'm the Oracle... And through I really don't like to talk to whitelighters, I have a task for you, and you only."  
"Me?" Rafael asked, a little scared by this thing. He had heard rumors about the Oracle, but he also knew that only Elders are allowed to speak to it.  
"Yes, you," the Oracle said. "It's about your charge."  
"My... I don't! I don't have a charge yet!" Rafael gave back, feeling that the Oracle must have confused him with someone.  
The shining ball became even brighter, then it said: "I know that silly... Still your charge is here now, he came from the future... And even if you haven't met him yet, he needs you."  
"The future? I don't understand... I..."  
"You can already feel his presence, even if the connection was not built up yet. He came from the future to fulfill a task but he lost the focus on it... Therefore he needs you."  
Rafael sighed in defeat. He still couldn't understand what was going on, but since the Oracle started to explain, the disturbing feeling he had since a couple of days, had become stronger, it intensified... And he understood now that it was his charge who he felt. It was exactly as the others had described it to him.  
"Ok..." he finally said, "let's assume you are right about that." The Oracle snickered at this, but Rafael ignored it. "What am I supposed to do?"  
"Go to him... Remind him why he's here. He needs to find his way again. He needs to try to make contact with his destiny... He needs to open his eyes," the Oracle answered, and there was some urgency in its voice.  
Rafael nodded: "Ok... I just hope I won't disappoint you, because I'm new to this, you know?"  
The Oracle shone brightly again and said: "You won't!" The young whitelighter nodded at this, then he closed his eyes. And when he finally had sensed the position of his charge he orbed away.

* * *

_(Chapter 4 written by Chrissy.W.x and Kirianna Ledräen)_


	5. Chapter 5

**A Charmed Story - Fourteen:  
Ashon: Re-Evolution (Freaky Friday 2)  
Chapter 5**

_In the future..._  
Wyatt and Jim had been wandering around the Underworld for the passed hour searching for the demon with no success. At least no success in finding the right demon. In the passed hour, they had run into two Vulture demons, four harpies, five furies, three grimlocks, two Tracer demons, and eight darklighters. Suffice it to say, they were both glad that none of them had been upper level. But they were getting tired of searching for the right one.  
"Why are there never any Monk demons around when you want to vanquish one?" Jim asked suddenly. He'd been the most impatient since he really wanted to test the potion.  
Wyatt laughed at Jim's annoyed tone. He knew if they stayed down here long enough, they'd run into one. This certainly wasn't his first time hunting demons.  
"The demons you want are never where they are supposed to be, unfortunately. Not unless you scry for them before hand to find them somewhere in the streets." Wyatt answered looking over at his cousin, reminding him that it would have been easier to find their target if he hadn't been so impatient to test the potion.  
"Yeah but this way we'd have risked the life of innocents," Jim replied and gave Wyatt a sheepish grin, causing the latter to chuckle.  
They continued moving along in relative silence. They knew from previous encounters, that the Monk demons congregated in this particular area of the Underworld. But with their dimension-shift power, they tended to be hard to find. That, and the Underworld was kind of a maze.  
Another five minutes went by, and still nothing. Wyatt started to feel strange, wondering if maybe they should head back home. He stopped for a minute, searching their immediate area.  
"What is it? Is there one close by?" Jim whispered, all excited. Wyatt held his hand up for Jim to be quiet, letting his senses search the dark recesses. When he didn't find anything, he lowered his hand.  
"I don't know. Something's just... I don't know, I feel like something is off," he said quietly, turning to Jim.  
His cousin frowned. He knew Wyatt was much more powerful then he was, but like all his other cousins, he could usually feel when danger was near. They did it through their sensing ability or through their empathy power, respectively. But he didn't feel anything at the moment. "What could it be, do you think?" he asked his older cousin.  
The Twice-Blessed shook his head, uncertainty clouding his mind. "I wish I knew. I can't pinpoint the feeling. It's like a shadow moving away from the light." He shook his head again to clear it.  
Just then a strong feeling enveloped him, one of danger. His head came up, his senses alert. Jim tensed besides him, feeling it this time as well. They both looked around, alarmed, wondering what direction the attack would come from.  
Suddenly a fireball appeared out of nowhere. Wyatt pushed Jim out of the way, and barely made it himself, as it flew passed. A second fireball, on the tail of the first, grazed his arm, thankfully causing only minor damage. Jim pushed himself up onto his hands and knees just as a couple more fireballs sailed at him. He orbed out of the way, barely escaping.  
Two dark figures appeared, a fireball in each hand, ready to attack again. Wyatt noticed Jim orbing back in a few feet from his position, and closer to the dark figures.  
"Throw the potion!" he yelled to his cousin while deflecting a new barrage of fireballs. Jim pulled the two potion vials from his pocket. He took aim and threw one at the first Monk demon, hitting it square in the chest. A sharp screech escaped its lips when the potion hit its mark in a puff of smoke, but the demon remained. But before Jim could throw the second potion though, he was hit in the arm by a fireball, dropping the vial to the ground, shattering it.  
Wyatt, meanwhile, ducked behind a large outcropping, narrowly avoiding getting hit. He turned quickly to Jim, when he heard his cousin yell in pain, not noticing the shattered vial lying on the ground.  
"Get the first one!" Jim yelled, ducking behind a big rock, holding his injured arm. Wyatt waited for an opening in the barrage, then stepped out into the open and let loose an energy blast that ripped through the cavern. It hit the first Monk demon, causing it to explode in a ball of fire, but it passed harmlessly through the second. He stood there shocked for a second, but had to move quickly once the second demon started his barrage again, more intensely this time.  
"Why didn't it kill the second one?!" he yelled at Jim from behind a rock.  
"Because I dropped the potion! Sorry!" Jim yelled back sheepishly, pointing to the broken vial, and apologizing for ruining their chance.  
Wyatt looked at the puddle of potion, and remembered something his mom had once told him. _"When we fought the grimlocks that very first time, our last potion bottle had gotten smashed, and the potion lay in a puddle on the ground. We thought there was no way to vanquish the last grimlock, but Prue used her power to send the potion to its target. Paige also did the same, one of the many times we fought Barbas."_ He smiled to himself at the memory, then searched for Jim, finding him nearby.  
"Can you distract him for a minute? I think I can get the potion!" he yelled to him.  
Jim looked confused. "It's in a puddle!" he called to his older cousin, dumbfounded.  
"Just do it! I'll worry about the potion!"  
Jim shook his head, bewildered, then orbed out. He reappeared behind the demon, and started calling for its fireballs, and redirecting them to it. It quickly turned on him, sending him diving for cover, not realizing the real danger was now behind it.  
Wyatt moved quickly the second the demon turned, telekinetically throwing the potion at the demon, hitting it in the back. It let out the same sharp screech as its vanquished partner. It turned on him then, but Wyatt was faster. His energy blast ripped through the demon, sending it to the Wasteland in a flash of flames.  
Jim let out a sigh of relief as he emerged from behind an outcropping, still holding his wounded arm. Wyatt walked over to him, and placed his hands over his arm and started to heal him.  
"Wow! That was amazing! How did you know to do that?" Jim's enthusiasm made Wyatt smile.  
"It was an old story mom once told us. You remember? About the first time they had to vanquish grimlocks. When Aunt Prue used her power to scoop up the potion from the ground?"  
Jim stood silently for a minute, trying to remember the story. It finally came to him about the same time Wyatt had finished healing him. "Oh yeah! Now I remember! And mom did the same thing once, when they faced Barbas! Wow, that was a long time ago..." They both laughed then, trying to picture their moms so young and inexperienced.  
"Well, it looks like the potion is a success!" Jim said after a moment. "We should get back and tell Chris!" But his cousin was no longer listening. "Wyatt? Wyatt, what's wrong?" Wyatt just stared into the darkness, the feelings from before coming back. The mention of Chris's name sent a shiver through his body, and he realized where the strange feelings had been coming from. It was Chris back home at the manor, and he was feeling distressed.  
"Wyatt?" Jim tried again, getting worried.  
"We have to get home. Now!" Then, before another word could be said, they both orbed home.

& & & & &

_In our time..._  
Paige turned back to the confrontation the second Bianca was gone. It had gotten worst in the last few seconds, the fight escalation at lightning speed. Vicious insults had started, making everyone uncomfortable.  
"You are nothing but an uncaring, unfeeling, callous bitch!" Nicki yelled at Elenia, the latter's face filling with fury.  
"You ungrateful little whore!" Elenia started, the traditional Elder calm having melted away to be replaced by the rage of a mother. "You're trying to steal my son for your own sick little purposes! And I won't have it!"  
"Steal your... Ohohoho... You hell-bent psychopath! You're trying to destroy him!" Nicki was in Elenia's face now, seething. Ever since she'd mentioned Elenia had been raped by Steve's father, everything had gone to hell. Elenia had retaliated by calling her an insensitive witch, and therefore starting the name-calling.  
"I'd rather see him dead, than become a monster!"  
The two women were toe-to-toe now, only inches from each other.  
"The only monster here is you!" Fury engulfed Nicki completely. The simple thought of Steve dying, ripped her heart out. And the fact that his mother would prefer that, than accept his demonic side... it made her want to physically attack the woman.  
"Oh, I'm the monster, am I? You little ingrate! I hope a demon rapes you and leaves you to deal with the consequences!" Elenia's harsh words hit home, and everyone gasped. Before she could process the severity of her words, Nicki struck out and slapped her hard across the face.  
"Bitch!" Nicki screamed, hot tears pouring down her face. The shock had finally worn off, and the Elders moved. Leo and Odin grabbing hold of Nicki, while Jeremiah and Silas took hold of Elenia before she could fire off some Elder's lightning. "How dare you!" Nicki continued, as she struggled in Leo and Odin's grip.  
"ENOUGH!" Lyta bellowed, stepping between the detained women. She glared at each in turn, making them glad that the saying 'if looks could kill', didn't literally apply at the moment. "I've had it with your petty squabble. If you truly intend to save Steve, you better get your acts together and start cooperating," Lyta said, still looking between them. Nicki continued to struggle against her captors, tears still streaming down her face, the anger she was feeling still overwhelming her. Elenia reached deep inside herself, looking, searching for the Elder's calm, and bringing it slowly through the fury to the surface.  
After Lyta's remark, the tension seemed to leave the room. At least a little. Many of the library's occupants sighed with relief, thankful that the worst seemed to be over. Phoebe felt her head reeling from all the intense emotions that had circled through the room. Anger, frustration, hate, pain, shock, fear. She focused on the last one, wondering who was so scared. Piper and Paige were livid; Leo, Silas, and Odin were concerned; Tom and Veronica were shocked; Christopher was fuming; Cole was cautious; Jeremiah and Lyta were annoyed; Nicki and Elenia were in pain; Bianca was... missing? Phoebe looked around the room, not seeing her niece-in-law anywhere, and wondering where she could have gone. Well, wherever it is, it's probably better then being stuck here. She thought, then her eyes fell on someone by the door. Someone she thought had left earlier, after he'd dropped of that book Paige had asked for. And he was the source of the fear that Phoebe felt.  
Poor Drew looked terrified. Phoebe wondered what it was about the fight that had scared him so much. She walked slowly over to him, leaving the others to get their emotions under control, and hoping they would before she exploded.  
"Hey, Drew, are you alright?" the Charmed One asked as she stopped in front of him.  
He seemed dazed for a second, like he hadn't heard her. "Huh? Oh, ah, yeah, I'm fine," he answered, not able to take the small tremble out of his voice.  
Phoebe looked sympathetically at him. "It got kinda scary there for minute, didn't it?" she said, then leaned in conspiratorially. "For a second, I thought Elenia's head was going to explode."  
A small smile tugged at Drew's lips, and Phoebe could feel the fear dissipating. She smiled herself, a warm, kind smile. "You can go now. And thanks again for finding the book."  
Drew began to flush a little, then, nodding his thanks for the escape, he silently left the room.  
Phoebe sighed and turned back towards the others, just in time to see some orbs appearing.  
The new comer was young, maybe in his mid-twenties or his mid-thirties, it was a little hard to tell. His hair was cropped short and neatly styled, his eyes bright. He looked around the room a little confused, like he wasn't sure he was in the right place. Everyone had turned to look at him.  
"Rafael?" Christopher said, recognizing the young man, bewildered as to why he was there. His family looked at him, wondering how he knew this man.  
Jeremiah, on the other hand, kept his eyes on Rafael and spoke almost at the same time as Christopher had. "What are you doing here?" He sounded almost harsh, suspicious as to why the new whitelighter had interrupted them.  
"I... ah... I was looking for someone," the young whitelighter looked among the six Elders, wondering what on Earth his future charge could need him for with them around. Unless he had overshot his destination, and his charge wasn't here.  
"Well? Who are you looking for?" Jeremiah asked, getting annoyed. But before Rafael could answer, Christopher did.  
"Me," he pushed his way through the crowd to stand in front of him. And he gave the whitelighter a hug, as confusion turned to joy... which didn't last long.  
"Why would he be looking for you?" Apparently Jeremiah was still in a bad mood.  
Christopher turned to glare at the Elder. "Because he's my whitelighter."  
There was a uniform gasp that went around the room. Satisfied, Christopher turned back to Rafael, who looked at him, just as shocked as everyone else in the room. "I didn't expect to see you here," he told his friend with a smile, somehow feeling much better, now that he was there.  
"I, ah... You're my charge?" the young whitelighter asked, blinking in amazement.  
"He's your whitelighter?" Piper, Phoebe and Paige asked all at the same time, clearly stunned. They'd always figured that Leo and Chris would be their kids' whitelighters.  
Christopher laughed a little shyly. He really hadn't expected his family to find that one out for another couple of years at least. "Ah, yeah..." the young witch-Elder said, rather sheepishly.  
The stunned looks never left his families faces. Even Leo was shocked. Nicki had finally stopped struggling, the distraction just what she needed to calm down.  
Christopher turned back to face Rafael. "What are you doing here?"  
"The Oracle told me..." he started, but was cut off by Lyta.  
"The Oracle? What were you doing talking to the Oracle?" The look on her face sent shivers down his spin.  
"I... it..." the young Whitelighter stammered.  
Lyta's patience had finally expired: "I ask again... what were you doing with the Oracle, it's..."  
"Calm down," Leo said, putting his hand on her shoulder, "give him a chance to explain himself without scaring the hell out of him."  
Lyta glanced at Leo with anger but then nodded, before turning to Rafael asking: "Well...?"  
"I... I didn't know... there was this vibration... and I... I just wanted to make sure that... that everything's alright. I didn't know it was the Oracle Chamber, I swear... I..."  
"Ok, ok..." Jeremiah said, "I guess it's the best if we go and talk to the Oracle ourselves." And as Lyta nodded, they both orbed away.  
Everyone else still stared at Rafael and Christopher, waiting for an explanation. But before any of them could give one, Bianca shimmered in.  
She looked around the room, noticed the shocked and confused faces, and realized some had left, and a new one had appeared. She blinking twice, and then asked: "What did I miss?"

& & & & &

Angela still stared at the spot where Bianca had been a couple of minutes before. Then finally she found her voice again. "What was that?" she asked no one in particular.  
Kyle grinned, and Victor laughed at that. "Well," the latter finally said, "you have to know that you pointed out one little detail everyone else seems to have forgotten about. They all want Steve back, their son, fiancé, friend... But no one seemed to care what Steve wants..."  
"Actually they all assumed that Steve will not like to be a demon since he showed so much hatred towards them," Kyle added.  
"But now he's one of them..." Michael stated.  
Angela nodded at this: "So he might see things from a different point of view."  
Kyle nodded: "Yeah but it seems that didn't really cross their minds... or mine to be honest."  
"And I guess this might be the one thing that could make the parties come together again. Because from what I heard earlier from my daughters, the positions have become entrenched," Victor remarked. He had heard with worry about how things did seem to turn the wrong way at the moment.  
"I wonder where he is now," Michael muttered into the silence that had followed after Victor's last comment.  
"We all do," Kyle said and then rose again. "If you don't mind I go take a shower and re-dress... I need to get the carrots off of me..." With that he left the others and went up the stairs.  
Angela followed him with her eyes, then she turned to Victor: "Has he moved in by now?"  
The older man chuckled at this while Michael poked his wife into her side. "Don't be so nosy..." he said, making her blush.  
But Victor waved it away with a gesture of his hand, then said: "No, not yet... But I'm working on that..."  
"You?" now both, Angela and Michael, asked at the same time, and then the woman gave her husband a look that pointed out that he was as nosy as herself.  
The older man nodded laughing: "Yeah I'm thinking about part-time retirement... Two weeks I'd work in LA and the other two weeks I could be here. So I asked Kyle if I could have his apartment..."  
Michael just looked at the other with big eyes, while his wife began to smile widely. "Oh Victor that's a great idea, I'm sure they will all be pleased to have you around more often."  
Michael finally nodded, too: "Yeah especially Chris. And those little ones." With the last words he pointed at the kids in the playpen.  
Victor turned to look at the kids for a moment, then he turned back to the others and smiled at them warmly, saying: "Well I hope so..."

& & & & &

While Julian was in the process of shimmering he suddenly felt odd... very odd. He couldn't really describe the feeling he had in a different way... He just new this wasn't as it was supposed to be, like if he wasn't alone. So in the last moment he changed his destination and re-appeared in an empty cave, because he wouldn't risk exposing Belthazor by bringing someone with him.  
Looking around the cave he sighed. It was empty. And for a moment he thought he might had worried for nothing...  
But then his sensing power kicked in and he suddenly new that he wasn't alone, not at all...  
"Who is there?" he asked in a demanding voice. "Show yourself!"  
No reaction.  
So Julian turned around himself for a couple of times until he felt a clear presence in his back. He smirked. Turning around he threw a low-energy ball right into that direction.  
A hiss was heard when the energy ball hit not the cave-wall but his target. The shining ball was not meant to hurt, therefore it was too low in energy. But it was enough to threw whoever was there off balance. And no sooner than the hiss was heard a body appeared right where Julian had sensed it.  
"Who are you?" he asked. And when that man looked at him without saying anything he added: "You better answer or the next energy ball will fry you."  
Now the other man started to chuckle, which made Julian frown but he wouldn't get distracted by that. Finally the man started to speak: "Man, I'm no danger for you... my name is John. And somehow I have the feeling I saw you before, through I can't put my finger on it... Well maybe we met on the hallways of magic school or something..."  
The demonic witch was still frowning. He couldn't remember meeting that man, so he asked. "Who the hell are you... John?"  
John didn't answer, instead he said: "So I take it you are the Halliwell's connection to the underworld, right? What are you? A demon?  
Julian was by now a little pissed. He didn't like disrespect. So he prepared another energy ball and asked again. "I said: Who the hell are you? And I want an answer NOW!" And with this he let the energy ball fly to the cave wall, right beside the other one's head.  
"Wow! Careful!" John exclaimed. Then he said in a calmer voice: "I already told you, my name is John."  
"Well, I don't know someone called John so would you please be so kind to enlighten me?" the demonic witch gave back, preparing another energy ball.  
"Well and here is me thinking that you are informed about everything, damn it..." And when John saw the angry look on the other's face he quickly added: "I'm Steve's whitelighter!"  
Now Julian rose an eyebrow, then he sighed while the energy ball in his hand disappeared. "Sorry," he said, now remembering the other man from the times he had observed Steve with his camera-system. "But I really didn't remember you at first."  
"It's ok," the whitelighter replied, "I'm not hurt and neither are you, so everything's fine."  
"So... what are you doing here? Why do you follow me?" the demonic witch asked. This was really a weird situation.  
Now the other one chuckled again. "I was observing my charge. I tried to find out what's going on. I saw the broken vial and wanted to take it, but it suddenly disappeared from my sight. So I knew I was not the only one on a spy-trip. And when I sensed you leaving I followed you."  
Julian nodded, then he asked: "How long have you been on his tail, and how did you even find him if even not his mother could sense him?"  
John smiled: "Well, he's my charge. The connection between charge and whitelighter is strong. And... Steve pepped it up a little with a spell, when he started hunting down the Ashon... in case he would get lost in the underworld... And I was there... well... for about five days. It took me a while to find him." And after a moment of silence he asked: "And you?"  
"Five days ago I followed an Ashon... and I guess I was lucky that he belonged to the right team..."  
John nodded at this. Then he gestured to the broken vial that Julian still held in his left hand: "I take it you wanna analyse that? What do you think if we team up?"  
Julian frowned at this. He had no reason to trust that man. On the other hand he seems to take his job seriously, otherwise he wouldn't even be there with him in a damn cave in the underworld. And maybe he could be useful. Still this was not his to decide. It was Belthazor's safety that was at risk. "Wait here... I'll be back in a couple of minutes," he said therefore and shimmered away to talk to his friend.

& & & & &

_In the future..._  
Chris was sitting on the sofa, looking rather confused when Wyatt and Jim orbed in. He stood up and walked over to them, looking them over.  
When he noticed the burn on Wyatt's arm, Chris asked: "What happened to you?"  
"What's wrong?" Wyatt asked at the same time. Jim had a big smile on his face and sort of answered Chris's question before Wyatt could.  
"The potion worked!!!" he said excited.  
Wyatt took a step towards his brother, ignoring his cousin. "It's nothing," he dismissed his injury, then repeated his question. "What's wrong? I felt something coming from you." His eyes were wide with worry, hoping nothing bad had happened.  
"It's Julia," Chris barely had her name out, when Wyatt was on him, terror in his eyes, grasping him by the shoulders. "What happened?" He was barely able to keep the hysterics out of his voice. Jim's mouth dropped with shocked worry.  
"Wyatt, take a deep breath," the Elder-witch said trying to calm him. "I don't know what's wrong. She wouldn't tell me."  
"Explain," the Twice-Blessed asked, letting go of his brother.  
"She came over, a few minutes ago. She looked horrible, like she hadn't slept in days. She was crying. I asked her what happened, and she just kept asking for you," Chris said, still not able to wrap his head around it.  
"Where is she now?" her fiancé asked, feeling like a hand was crushing his heart.  
"I don't know..." Chris started.  
"What do you mean you don't know?" Wyatt interrupted him.  
"I mean, I went to the kitchen to get her some water, and before I got back, I heard the door slam. I ran in here, and she was go..."  
Just then they heard the muted sound of the toilet flushing in the bathroom. They were all looking at each other, confused, when the bathroom door opened. Julia stepped out, one hand in front of her mouth, the other against the door jam for support.  
Wyatt instantly rushed to her side. "What's wrong, Sweetheart? Are you all right?" he asked her worriedly, wrapping his arm around her waist to support her.  
"Can we talk?" she asked, almost pleadingly. Then, after glancing at Chris and Jim, she added: "Alone?"  
"Of course. We'll go to my room," he said, as he led her towards the stairs to the basement. Chris and Jim stood there a moment, wondering what could possibly be upsetting Julia so much.  
The moment passed for Jim much quicker then it did for Chris, and he was smiling again, proud and elated that his potion had worked.  
Chris looked at him then, his cousin's joy washing over him. "Well?" he asked, giving Jim his opening.  
"It worked!!!" the young witch-whitelighter said, and then burst into a full account of what had happened.

& & & & &

_Meanwhile in our time..._  
When Julian entered his cave, Belthazor was still sitting at the desk, still reading. He was so submerged in the book that he didn't notice his friend's return.  
"We have a problem," he announced.  
At this the red demon looked up startled, but recovered quickly. "What happened? Has anything happened to Steve?" he then asked.  
"No," the demonic witch replied and sat down, too. "It's his whitelighter, John... I kind of ran into him."  
"Kind of?" Belthazor asked with suspecting eyes.  
Julian sighed. "Well I stole this..." with those words he placed the broken vial on the table, "...and he noticed it. Apparently he wanted to do the same thing as I did... just that I was faster. He followed me after that."  
"Where is he now?" the demon asked while he carefully took the piece of glass to have a closer look.  
Julian followed his friend's movements with his eyes while saying: "In another cave... Waiting."  
"Waiting?"  
"He's waiting for my return. He offered an alliance, since we both have the same aim." Now Belthazor's eyes turned to Julian in worry. Knowing what went through his friend's mind the demonic witch just went on: "But I would have never brought him here without talking to you first, you should know that."  
"I do..." the demon said. Then turning his eyes to the broken vial again, he asked: "Is that...?"  
"A bit of the potion Steve drank? Yes, it is..." Julian nodded.  
Belthazor nodded, too. Then he turned to his friend again. "John you said?" And as Julian nodded again he muttered: "I guess I've met him once... Didn't think he survived..." He placed the vial back on the table. "Blindfold him. He's not allowed to know the location of this place. Then bring him here." Julian nodded before he shimmered away.

& & & & &

Bianca looked expectantly at the faces around her, wondering what could possibly have happened in her absence. Everyone in the room was strangely silent, and most looked stunned or confused. It was a far cry from the yelling and screaming that was going on before she left. And her feelings told her it had something to do with the newcomer. But for the like of her, she couldn't figure out what.  
The man was young and unassuming, and didn't seem like he quite belonged. He was fidgeting nervously, seeming to wonder what exactly she was, since he'd seen her shimmer in. Bianca got the feeling he wasn't a mortal, at least not anymore, but she certainly knew he hadn't been immersed in the world of magic for very long. And that made her curious.  
She looked one more time at everyone before voicing her query again.  
But Phoebe had beat her to it, snapping out of her shock, and addressing the Phoenix. "Where did you disappear too?" the Charmed One asked, curious. She'd caught Bianca's good mood as she'd shimmered in, wondering what could have happened that had lifted her spirit.  
Bianca started at the sudden question, then pulled her eyes off the new guy to look at Phoebe. "I was at the manor. Michael and Angela are there. They just got back from their trip and wanted to see Chris, Hope and me," she explained as everyone turned their attention to her.  
"Michael and Angela are back?" Cole asked, pleasantly surprised. He'd been so caught up in everything that had gone on the last week, he'd almost forgotten about his nephew's friends.  
"Yes, they are. And Angela actually gave me a surprisingly simple solution to our impasse. It's so simple, I'm amazed none of us thought of it before," she said, her earlier good mood returning. Now everyone was looking at her expectantly.  
"It's not going to cause Steve any harm is it? This solution?" Nicki asked warily. She was tired of fighting and crying. Now she just wanted Steve home and safe, where he belonged.  
"No, I don't think so...." Bianca reassured her.  
"Well? What is this simple solution of yours?" Elenia asked, annoyed, before she could say anything further.  
"Well, we've all been fighting about what to do with Steve's demonic side, right? When, really, we should have been trying to figure out how to get him back," the Phoenix started but was interrupted by Elenia again.  
"What kind of solution is that?" The Elder asked, incredulous.  
"It's the kind that needs further uninterrupted explanation," Bianca bit back, glaring at the woman.  
"Well?" Elenia pressed. Bianca turned away from her and back to the others, taking a few calming breaths before she continued.  
"The thing is, we only have the power to get Steve back," she gave Steve's mother a warning glance then. "It's actually his decision if he wants to try and get rid of the demon inside of him. Not ours."  
Christopher smiled at this, knowing she was right. And he wasn't the only one who saw the truth in those words now...  
"You are right... I can't believe we were all so blind to this truth," Nicki said in disbelief. Sure, she had decided she could live with the demon her fiancé was now, but... If he truly wanted to try to erase that part of him, she would still be there, all the way.  
Everyone was nodding in agreement, feeling the same way as Nicki did.  
Everyone, except Elenia. "This is preposterous! He certainly no longer has control. How can he possibly make such an important decision?" She looked at everyone in turn, her glare staying longest on Nicki.  
"That's where you're wrong, Elenia," Cole spoke up then, having heard enough of Elenia's complaints for the day. "When I was half-demon..."  
"This isn't the same thing!" she started to protest, but Cole cut her off.  
"Actually, it is the same thing. Like it or not, but Steve is half-demon. I could control my demon half, and I'm sure he can control his."  
"If that is so, then where is he? Why hasn't he returned?" the Elder shot back.  
Cole's mouth snapped shut at that, since he wasn't sure how to answer.  
"That doesn't mean he doesn't have control. There are many explanations to justify that," Bianca answered for him.  
"And not all of them are pretty," Nicki added. Leo and Odin had released their grip on her soon after Bianca had made an appearance, and now she was walking to stand by her.  
"They're right. We need to focus on bringing Steve back. If he wants us to vanquish his demonic side, he'll ask," Piper said then, moving to Bianca's other side. Phoebe and Paige moved with her.  
"You're all crazy! I won't let any of you..." Elenia started to say, but was cut off by Tom.  
"They're right, Elenia. As much as we know that Steve hates the Ashon. In the end, it's his decision to live with it or not," he said, feeling relief in the revelation. After a solid week of fighting against his friends, it felt good to finally come to an understanding. Veronica looked at him, feeling the same relief.  
But Elenia wasn't having any of it. "Steve is your friend, and you're just going to give up?" she barked, glaring at Tom now.  
"I'm not giving up. But we forgot the whole purpose of being here! It was never about whether or not to vanquish the demon within him, but to save him and bring him home!" he said, taking a step towards Elenia.  
"So you're going to sentence him to death?" she countered.  
Nicki became livid again, and stepped forward. Bianca grabbed her arm, holding her back. "Us, sentencing him to death? You have a lot of nerve!" she yelled at her prospective mother-in-law.  
"It won't be a death sentence. We will bring him home. And he can decide for himself what he thinks is best. It's his life, and therefore it's his decision," Leo interjected calmly, hoping to prevent another outburst.  
"It will be a death sentence! The Steve we all knew will be dead if that monster is allowed to remain inside of him!" Elenia said, Leo's calm tone doing nothing to dissuade her anger.  
"See, that's your problem right there. There is no demon inside Steve. The demon is Steve! It's a part of him, like his arm or leg. It is who he is. And the sooner you accept that, the better. For all of us. Especially Steve," Cole said, clearly having had it with the Elder.  
Elenia looked at all the faces in the room. It seemed that she was the only one left who thought that Steve's demonic side should be destroyed. "You're all wrong. You'll see. Steve won't want that thing inside of him. I know he won't!" With that, Elenia orbed away.  
Everyone let out a collective sigh once her orbs had disappeared. Bianca let go of Nicki's arm then, giving the girl an apologetic grin. The young witch smiled back, somehow feeling that the worst was finally behind them.  
"So what now?" she asked no one in particular. Everyone looked around, exchanging looks, not really sure where to start. Rafael seemed to have been forgotten during the whole kerfuffle. A fact that he was surely pleased about. Until he caught Bianca staring at him.  
"Well, for starters, I'd like to know who he is, and what he's doing here," the Phoenix said, sizing up the new Whitelighter. Everyone turned to him then, wondering the same thing. A nervous grin came over his face, and he winced.

& & & & &

John felt a little weird for a moment, after being shimmered and that with eyes blindfolded. He didn't like shimering for a start, but doing it with one of his main senses knocked out was even worse. He felt like he could vomit any second.  
"Welcome," Julian said after he had led the whitelighter into the cave and closed the door. He undid the knot and lowered the cloth that had covered the whitelighter's eyes.  
John had to blink a couple of times, since the cave he was in now was well lit. When his eyes finally became used to the light he looked around curiously. This place looked more like a meeting room than a cave, except for that destroyed bookshelf. Then his traveling eyes stopped on somebody he had hoped to never see again.  
"You?" he asked confused and for a moment forgetting who he was talking to. "You are Chris' connection to the underworld????"  
Belthazor scanned the man in front of him from head to toe, than nodded.  
"Would you like to drink something?" Julian asked. "I can offer you water, coke... Oh and I also have some Vodka left, in case you need something strong."  
"What?" John asked confused for a moment. Then he shook his head: "No, thank you."  
Belthazor had to smile at his. Then he gestured to one of the chairs at the table: "Maybe you like to sit down... Don't worry, I don't bite."  
John shook his head again before he sat down. He looked at the demon intensely, then asked: "Why?"  
"Why?" Belthazor asked back.  
"Why are you doing this?"  
At this the demon rose an eyebrow. Then he vaguely explained: "Well the people in grey made me see that there is no good without evil, same as the other way round. So we try to keep the balance."  
Now John rose an eyebrow, while Julian sat down, too, but kept silent, just observing the other two. The whitelighter seemingly wasn't satisfied with this explanation. So he said: "I don't believe you."  
Now The Source laughed: "I don't care if you believe me or not. What matters to me, is that Julian does, and Cole and Chris. You on the other hand..." And now he turned serious again. "You... I wonder where your loyalties lie, since you were with us at the table of the people in grey, same as me..."  
"I was there because I believed in Eridon's words. I was there because I wanted to make sure my charges are safe," the whitelighter defended himself. "Plus I was the one who helped the Charmed Ones to find a way to vanquish them."  
"So did I..." Belthazor said.  
"Ok!" Julian stepped in, when he saw that John was about to make another comment that would only lead to more discussions about past events. "I guess we have explained to you now, that we just try to help people, to keep the balance between the forces, so..."  
"Why is Steve so important to you? What has he to do with that balance you try to protect?" John questioned, interrupting the demonic witch.  
Belthazor had thought carefully about what to say to the whitelighter to explain his actions without telling him that he actually cared about the Halliwells and their friends, which included Steve as well. And actually he came up with something good, he believed. "Not Steve is the problem. The problem is what would happen if the goodies make the wrong decision... What if they'd attack the Ashon?" he asked. When John kept silent, the demon went on: "The Ashon have a family-like structure. If they would be attacked they would protect who is their own... Especially if the attack is meant to steal one of their own from the clan... And that, my dear whitelighter, could lead us into a new war between demons and humans." And when he saw the shocked expression in the man's eyes, he added: "And I guess that's something neither of us wants to happen, right?"  
John just nodded at this. Then he said: "Yeah... I guess you could be right... Especially when I think about what's going on at the school... They are just fighting about how to handle the situation. Christopher, he wants Steve to keep his demonic half... But Steve's mother acts like if her son is possessed... She wants to kill the demon inside him, no matter what..."  
Belthazor nodded, and Julian asked: "And you disagree?"  
John shrugged: "I do... I also learned my lesson when I trusted Eridon. I learned that Elders don't know everything, that they can be wrong, too." He sighed: "And I somehow have the feeling, that Elenia is very wrong..." He shook his head and added: "We have to find a way to solve this mess... We have to find a way to help Steve. That's why I wanted the potion vial... I need to find out what they are doing to him."  
Belthazor looked at his friend who looked right back at him. Then he nodded.  
Julian smiled back at the demon, understanding what he expected from him. So he stood up, grabbed the broken vial and finally turned to John: "Follow me, you can help me analyse this..."  
Belthazor watched the other two leave through one of the doors that let to a little potions lab. He sighed and then rose. He needed to get some order in his notes from that book, so that when Julian and their new ally were finished they could talk about all they had and make a plan to solve this situation.

& & & & &

_In the future...  
_Wyatt opened his bedroom door and let Julia inside, then closed the door behind them. The look on her face was killing him inside. She was so worried, so sad, he wanted to wrap her in his arms and never let go again. He walked over to his bed and sat down, patting the space next to him, but she just shook her head, and started pacing. It took a couple of minutes before she could get her thoughts together.  
"Wyatt... I..." she started, but wasn't sure how to proceed. He waited patiently for her to find her voice again. "I don't know how to say this. I don't even know how it happened. I mean..." she stalled again, fresh tears spilling onto her cheeks.  
He got up and put his arm around her shoulders and led her to the bed. "Please, have a seat," he said, his heart breaking at the terrified look in her eyes.  
She sat this time and he knelt down in front of her and taking her face in his hands, wiping her tears with his thumbs. "It will be okay. Everything will be okay," he reassured her, before asking, "what happened?"  
A nervous laughed escaped her lips before she replied: "I'm pregnant."

* * *

_(Chapter 5 written by Kirianna Ledräen and Chrissy.W.x)_

* * *

_**Note: Because of the heat (and the fact that we need a break because of that), the next chapter will be uploaded in three weeks, not two. Thanks for your patience.** _


	6. Chapter 6

**A Charmed Story - Fourteen:  
Ashon: Re-Evolution (Freaky Friday 2)  
Chapter 6**

_In the present..._  
They had kept talking for a while, since Victor was eager to hear all the things the couple had experienced in Australia. Angela and Michael had some nice stories to tell. After a while Kyle came back down the stairs and joined them again. The four adults enjoyed the time they shared, while the kids played on their own.  
Then the topic came back to Chris, and they started speculating what he might experience right now, IF he really was in the future. And also Christopher's part in this was discussed.  
"So as Bianca said earlier, Christopher is here because of the sword?" Angela asked.  
Victor nodded: "It seems so... As far as I know, he did cast a spell on himself because he didn't know how to handle his responsibilities."  
"But why is he here, then? I mean, it's not like Chris knows how to deal with that, yet..." Michael remarked, knowing that his friend was still worried about this topic.  
"Well, why is this such a big deal?" Kyle asked then. "I mean... the sword doesn't make him to the ruler of the world, does it?"  
Michael grinned at this: "No... he's just the ruler of the magical world..."  
"Really?" the officer asked. He hadn't known that.  
"Actually he's meant to bring peace and unity to the world of magic," Victor explained, "at least that's what he told me."  
Michael nodded: "Yeah and Chris is still afraid that he is not the right one for this job, that he's not worth this sign of power. But he is... No one else is able to see things from all sides and then make the right decision. But Chris proved already that he can do that... Now he has to understand it for himself."  
Kyle nodded at this: "I see... And for Christopher it might be even harder, because Chris really is a huge role model, isn't he?" The other three nodded at this.  
Then Michael suddenly rose. "That's it... I need to go there, I need to help Christopher."  
"What? Why?" Angela asked.  
Victor shook his head: "I don't think you should get involved in that..."  
"But I already am," Michael replied. And when he saw the confused looks on their faces he explained: "I'm Chris' first knight. He trusts me and he said he likes my easy view on things. Now Christopher is here, and his first knight is just a small kid." With this he pointed at Wyatt, who was still playing with his cars. "So I need to help him, instead."  
"But how?" Angela asked worried for her husband's safety.  
"I don't know... I just want him to know, that I'll be there for him, that he can talk to me. You know?" And as everyone nodded in understanding, he asked: "Does this door to the school still work?"

& & & & &

Everyone was staring at the new whitelighter, waiting, making him nervous. Cole, standing beside Phoebe, knew he didn't have to be an empath to know how the young man felt. He knew that the young man, Rafael, was certainly new to all this. He'd seen new Whitelighters in his time, and if not properly trained, they could get their charges killed more easily than save them. With Christopher's life seemingly going to end up in this ones hands, he hoped he was going to get some serious training.  
As Cole watched Rafael stammer out a word or two, trying to find the right ones to explain his situation, a thought occurred to him. Now was a good time to go check his e-mail to see if Julian had found anything new. And this way he could also pick up that book he'd forgotten in Chris's office the other day, and that he needed for one of his cases. Plus: He could buy the man a moment of time to collect his thoughts.  
"Hey, I don't mean to interrupt, but I thought I'd go check my email in Chris's office. See if there is anything new," he told everyone, focusing first on Rafael, then on Phoebe.  
His wife looked at him strangely, thinking this was not the time. "Do you need to check it right now? This is kind of important," she said, motioning to Rafael.  
"It won't take long. And besides, it will give... Rafael?... time to get his thoughts together," he reassured her, and everyone.  
A sigh escaped her lips, but she agreed. "Okay. Go."  
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders in a quick hug and kissed her on the temple. "I won't be long. Don't start without me," he turned to Rafael and winked, receiving an appreciative smile in return. Then he headed out of the library.  
Cole turned down the hall and headed towards Chris's office. He ran through his memories, trying to remember the exact placement of the book so he didn't have to waste time looking for it, while checking his mail. 'Best I not take too long...' he thought to himself, knowing the others would get restless waiting for him. Hopefully, they wouldn't stare at that Rafael the entire time, making him even more nervous than he already seemed to be.  
Once he was just around the corner from Chris's office, he saw a man walking in his direction. He didn't recognize him until they were about five feet from each other. But he had recognized Cole immediately.  
"Cole! It's nice to see you!" Michael said as he approached.  
Cole blinked, taking in the tanned man standing in front of him. "Michael? Wow! You look great. That trip did wonders," he said cheerfully, as he finally recognized him.  
"Yeah, I keep getting that. It's the miracle of tanning," Michael said smiling, giving Cole a wink.  
"So what are you doing here at Magic School?" Cole asked, getting to business since he was in a hurry.  
"I heard about what was going on with Steve and Christopher, and thought that maybe I could help," he answered honestly.  
"Okay. Sure. I know they can use all the help they can get. They're in the library. It's back that way," Cole said, pointing behind him with his thumb.  
"Thanks, I know the way," Michael replied and started walking again. A thought occurred to Cole and he turned around.  
"Hey, where's Angela?" he asked.  
Michael stopped and turned around. "She decided to stay at the manor with Victor, Kyle and the kids."  
Cole nodded his understanding. "Okay. I'll see you in a few," he said before continuing on to Chris's office.  
He turned the corner and came to the office door. It seemed a little weird to go in, with Chris gone. But he needed to check his e-mail and to get the book back, and he knew his nephew wouldn't mind. Especially because he had the only working internet connection in the school. So he pushed open the door, not noticing the faint glow coming from inside, and entered. Once inside he took a moment to look around. Taking in the desk and bookshelves, his eyes finally stopped on Excalibur, still stuck in its stone. The fact that the sword wasn't supposed to be in there, standing beside the desk, didn't register right away. And it took him a minute to wrench his gaze from it. Only when he had, had he realized he'd taken a few steps towards it. He was almost directly in front of the desk now, and he looked at it, searching its surface.  
The book he needed, was sitting on the upper right-hand corner, partially covered with papers. Leaving it there for the moment, he walked around, pulled out the chair and sat at the computer, bringing up his email account. His eyes flicked to the sword a few times while he scrolled down. There was some junk mail, letters from clients, and a love letter from Phoebe, but nothing from Julian. After quickly signing out of his account, he picked up the book, and fully intended to leave right then, but he looked back at the sword, as if it was calling to him.  
Cole placed the book in the middle of the desk, and almost trance-like, walked to the sword. He looked at it, studying it. It wasn't the first time he'd been near the sword, but this was the first time he'd ever been compelled to touch it. So he reached out with his right hand. His fingers lightly touched the pommel, taking in the cold metal, then slowly slid down the hilt. He was suddenly thrown into a vision, his hand subconsciously wrapping around the sword.  
_The demon was standing with his back to him, then quickly turned, revealing an Ashon with painted tattoos on his bare chest; looking up, the bright artificial light was glinting of the clearly defined tip of a sword; the manor's clock, bathed in a strange purple/white light was chiming nine o'clock at night; Chris, no... Christopher, standing in the attic, part of a spell being cast, "...Return me now, to whence I came..." by... Christopher?  
_Cole came out of it, completely stunned. Something about the vision made it feel like he'd had two... He had to shake his head to clear it.  
It was the same premonition he'd had a week ago when Christopher had first arrived. Yet it wasn't. The first vision had been anything but clear, and its parts were all jumbled like a puzzle. Now, though they still didn't form a distinct picture, the pieces seemed to be in order, and each was clearer.  
"I have to tell the others," he said to himself, and started towards the door, but stopped. He was looking directly at the door, and remembered what was waiting for him in the library. Knowing they were all waiting for him to get back so the new Whitelighter could talk. He finally decided he'd wait to tell them until after they'd heard what Rafael had to say. With that decided, he took off at a run. He grabbed the doorframe on his way out, using it to catapult himself around the corner, but pulled himself to a stop instead. Running back into the office, he went to the desk, picked up the book, and ran back out, heading for the library.

& & & & &

Batim hugged Tevaal for a long while. He still couldn't believe that he finally had a brother. When he was a kid he had always wished for one.  
Tevaal on the other hand was so shocked by those news that he needed a moment to let all those information sink in. But when it finally did, he hesitatingly pulled away to look at the other Ashon. There was no doubt that they were related. At least in his demonic form, Tevaal had the same eyes and the same nose as the other one. Yes, this demon was his brother... he really had a brother. "Wow..." he muttered, making the other one smile.  
"I bet this is a huge surprise for you, too. Well at least from the look on your face it seems to be like that," Batim said chuckling, his eyes sparkling.  
Tevaal just nodded. "Yes it is. And I have to admit it's a little hard to believe... Right now I feel like being in a very strange dream."  
"It is no dream, believe me," Meehan replied to this. Tevaal had almost forgotten about her, but she was still sitting by their side. At least until this moment, because now she rose. "I guess I better leave you two alone, so that you can talk a little more in private," she said. And when both men nodded she walked away from the alcove.  
Tevaal followed her a moment with his eyes, then he turned to his new found brother. Frowning, he asked: "What do you know about me? Do you know anything about me?"  
Batim sighed: "I don't know much... I heard from Meehan that you don't remember what your life was like before... Not really at least. So maybe we should start with you telling me what you still know. And I see what I can add to that."  
"That sounds good," Tevaal agreed. Then he took a deep breath. "Well. I do know that I'm only 50% Ashon and the rest is Elder, as far as I was told. Through I can't remember that myself, nor have I access to any Elder-power as one of the oldest has called it. Through I was told that I had those powers. And then I remember that I had a very good friend, but it's all so dizzy, it's just a few pictures of playing in a sand box with him. And I remember a Name... Nicki. Through I have no idea who that name belongs to."  
"Is that all?" Batim asked, when his brother lowered his head.  
Tevaal sighed again: "No, but... You have to promise me that you not tell Meehan, because I don't want her to worry." And when he saw Batim nod, he went on: "I have dreams... nightmares. I told Meehan I can't remember what they are about, but I do... In my dreams I see Ashons and humans facing each other, fighting each other and... and killing each other. The weird thing is, in my dream, it's like I would know those humans, too. In fact I seem to deeply care about them, same as I care about the Ashons that are in those dreams as well... It's... It's confusing... and it scares me."  
Batim nodded at this. Then, after a moment of thinking he said: "Well... I guess you might really care about those people you saw. Since a couple of days ago you lived up there, in the world of the humans. You grew up with them. And I have no doubt that you have friends there, too. And, from that ring on your finger you also have someone who you love."  
At this Tevaal looked at his hand. The ring that was there, was simple. He looked at his brother questioning: "I... I don't understand..."  
"Those rings the humans share with those they love, with those they wanna share their lives in marriage," Batim explained. Then an idea came to him: "Take it off, usually the humans engrave something in them. Maybe that will give you some clues."  
Steve nodded, his eyes shining with hope as he pulled the ring off to look at it closely. And as a matter of fact he found an N and an S engraved in the metal. "N and S", he muttered.  
"Maybe Nicki," Batim suggested.  
Tevaal nodded: "Nicki and Steve... My human name is Steve." He smiled: "Now I remember that, my name is Steve."  
Batim nodded: "That I knew... But it's better that you remembered it yourself, because you need to remember. After all this is a part of you, too. And I'm sure your friends are missing you already."  
The younger Ashon had lowered his head at those words. "Maybe..." Tevaal muttered thoughtful. Then he looked at his brother again: "You seem to know a lot about the humans, how comes?"  
"Well, when I heard what happened, I mean, when I heard what happened with dad and your mom... I... I was wondering if... well if your mom might got pregnant. All Ashon wondered that and we tried to find her," Batim explained. "I really hoped I would get a brother or sister, because at this point I was alone. And that was when I got a little obsessed with the world of the humans I guess. I wanted to know all about the world of my possible sibling. But anyway, as much as we all tried to find your mom, we couldn't trace her. And after a while we gave up, with the believe that either, there was no child, or... or they..."  
"Or they would have got rid of me?"  
Batim nodded at this. Then he explained: "At least you are half demon... But then things changed a couple of months ago, and we had word about a half-demon half-Elder species rising to power. So they came to get you, because we all knew you'd need us as soon as you'd come into your powers."  
Tevall nodded at this, understanding. Then another thing crossed his mind: "You said you wanted to know about the humans because this is my world... But that's not true. I'm an Ashon, THIS is my world."  
Batim sighed at this, before saying: "No... it's not. You were raised as human. And even if you might not remember yet, one day you will. And I'm sure, even if or especially because our worlds are not so different, you will want to return to them, to your friends, to that Nicki... Believe me, Tevaal, one day you will!"

& & & & &

_In the future...  
_"I'm pregnant," Julia had said, and now had a hard time to look at Wyatt, fearing his reaction.  
But he just stared at her for a moment, not sure what to think... or feel. "Pregnant? But how? I thought you were on the pill," he asked when he finally found his voice, the implications still sinking in.  
"I don't know. They say the pill isn't one hundred percent effective. I guess we landed with the uneffective part," she glanced down at him now, wondering what he was thinking. She'd somehow expected him to get angry like she knew her father would. But he wasn't her father...  
"So, you're pregnant..." It was a statement, not a question. "I'm going to be a dad..." Julia watched the look on Wyatt's face change from shock to pure joy. "I'm going to be a dad!" he exclaimed, then got up and pulled her into a hug.  
It was her turn to be shocked. She really hadn't expected him to react this way. Though she knew she should have known better, part of her expected him to freak out. That's what her father would do. She had to remind herself that Wyatt wasn't her father. Though they both loved her dearly, her father was a little overprotective of her when it came to boys. Well, men, in this case. One man, actually. The big/little brother of his best friend. 'But Wyatt is protective of me, too,' she thought. And that thought brought relief to her, knowing that Wyatt would be there for her no matter what. And she'd seen him with his nieces and nephews and already knew he'd be a great dad.  
Wyatt's joy started to infect her now, and she wrapped her arms tighter around him. He took that as a cue, and lifted her up and spun her around, a yelp of joy escaping his lips.  
But it wasn't long before she tried to free herself from his grasp. "Wyatt! Please! You're making me dizzy! And I already threw up enough for one day!" she pleaded with him between giggles.  
He put her down immediately, a worried look coming over his face. "You're alright?" he asked, taking her face gently in his hands.  
Julia smiled up at him and pulled his face down to hers. "I'm fine, now I am..." she reassured him, before giving him a small kiss. When she pulled back, he tried to kiss her more fully, but she put her fingertips over his mouth. "Not right now. I just vomited barely ten minutes ago. Let my brush my teeth first," she said apologetically.  
He let her pull away, and smiled. "You know, you really worried Chris with your little disappearing act," he gently teased.  
She smiled at him, a little sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't keep it down any longer," she apologized again.  
He pulled her to him in a warm hug, placing her head on his chest. "It's okay. It's okay. Everything will be okay," he found himself saying. He closed his eyes, feeling content, while all the worries were washed away. They remained silent for a while, Julia listing to his heartbeat, her arms wrapped tightly around his back.  
The world around them seemed to disappear for just a moment, until a thought intruded into her happy thoughts. "What are we going to do?" The worry was making it's way back into her voice. She looked up at him, looking for solace.  
He looked back at her, a smile pulling at his lips. "Everything will be fine. You don't have to worry about anything. We'll get through this," he reassured her. Bringing his hand up to her face, he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "We'll be a perfectly happy, little family... and there is nothing to worry about."  
"What about my father? He'll kill us when he finds out."  
The smile immediately disappeared from his face, and Wyatt started to think frantically. Julia looked up at him expectantly.  
"Maybe we should go to Chris. He could help..." A realization struck him then, and an astonished smirk crept unto his face. "Unbelievable! So that's what all the 'it'll turn out all right' crap was about," he said shaking his head.  
Julia looked at him confused. "What? What's unbelievable? What are you talking about?" she asked, wondering what it was with the change of subject.  
"Chris! He has known all along!" he said, releasing her and moving towards the door.  
"He's known what all along?" she was getting more and more confused by the second. None of this was making any sense.  
He turned around to face her. "Chris knows you're pregnant."  
She blinked rapidly, his words not making sense to her. "But I never told him..."  
He came to her and took both her hands in his. "Not that Chris. The older one. He knew all along," he explained, looking into her eyes.  
She looked back, still not completely sure she understood. Then it hit her, and Wyatt saw the realization in her eyes. She started to shake her head. "No," she said, not believing it.  
"Yes," he corrected.  
"No," she said again, still shaking her head.  
Wyatt smiled. "Yes," he said, nodding.  
The shock that over took her senses caused her to back up until she bumped into the bed and sat down. "But how?" she finally managed to stammer out.  
He sat down beside her and gently turned her face to him. "How else? He must have found out when he was in the younger Chris' position. God... I can't believe he never said anything!" It was Wyatt who was shaking his head this time.  
Julia still wasn't sure she understood. "But if Chris found out when he was younger, shouldn't the younger one know too?" Despite her years of experience hanging out with the Halliwells, time travel was still confusing to her.  
"No. He wouldn't know, 'cause we haven't told him yet. But because our Chris already lived what the younger one is living now, he knows."  
Julia shook her head at this, still not really getting it. "That didn't help." A helpless laugh escaped her lips.  
He pulled her to him, and kissed her on the forehead. "I guess it didn't. I'm sorry," he apologized, looking into her eyes again. "Maybe you shouldn't try to get it. It might make your head spin." He caressed her cheek, lovingly, and smiled sheepishly.  
"Maybe I shouldn't then," she laughed a little, and slid her hand down his arm. When she got passed his elbow, he pulled in a sharp breath. She pulled back and looked at him, shocked. Her eyes then went to the hot, rough spot on his arm. "What happened?" It was her turn to be worried now.  
He gave her another sheepish grin. "It's nothing a whitelighter or Elder couldn't heal." His weak attempt to brush it off just made her scowl at him. "Really! It's nothing! It's just a little scratch," he tried again.  
"That's not a little scratch, Wyatt!" she said worried, the thought of losing him, bringing tears to her eyes.  
"Don't cry, Sweetie," he said softly. "Look, how about we go upstairs, get Chris to heal me, and call our Chris. We'll talk to them and figure out what to do next. Okay?" he offered, hoping his solution would be enough to stop her from worrying too much.  
"Okay," she answered, letting out a sigh. Then they both got up and headed for the stairs.

_Meanwhile in our time...  
_After Cole had left, silence fell over the others in the library, as if his sudden departure had knocked out the breath to speak out of everyone.  
Piper through, recovered first. "Oh what the hell," she said, stepping forward to have a better look at the young whitelighter, "I wanna know what you are doing here, and what you have to do with my son, and I want to know it now!"  
Through Piper's voice had been sweet, she still sounded very dangerous, which made the young whitelighter become even smaller. He was just about to mumble a reply, but Christopher was faster.  
"We already told you, he's my whitelighter!" the young witch-Elder replied, a little annoyed by his family.  
"You have a whitelighter?" Bianca asked confused. And then she voiced what everyone else thought: "What about Chris and Leo?"  
Christopher rolled his eyes at this, then said: "Don't you think dad is already busy enough with mom and the aunts? And Chris is the heir of Excalibur, plus he's Wyatt's whitelighter. And I actually like it that MY whitelighter is NOT family. Not that I would mind if he was, but... Well it's sometimes easier when your whitelighter can't ground you..."  
"Ok, ok..." Piper said still frowning, "so in the future he'll be your whitelighter, but why is he here now?"  
This was actually a good question and even Christopher turned to the young man by his side frowning. 'Rafael can't be dead for more than a few months,' he thought.  
"Well...?" Leo said, when the whitelighter kept silent, fearfully looking from one to the other.  
"Don't you think we should wait until Cole is back?" Phoebe tried to buy the young man some time, since she clearly felt his confusion and fear.  
But Piper and Bianca had none of that. "We can inform him later, I want some answers now," the first said, while the latter agreed.  
"Well," Rafael said with an unsteady voice, his eyes quickly jumping from one to the other, "I passed by the... the Oracle room. I heard a sound and I... I didn't know it was the Oracle room so I went inside. When that ball showed up I wanted to leave but it told me to... it told me to stay."  
"Why?" Leo now asked frowning, not doubting the man's words but still also not really believing him.  
"It told me that I need to see my charge," Rafael went on, "it said... it said he came from the future, and that he has a task to fulfill... it said he... it said that he has lost focus on what he needs to do. It said something about that he should make contact with... with his destiny, whatever that is supposed to mean."  
At this Christopher frowned. But then he cleared his throat and turned to the young whitelighter. "Well then... my name is Christopher and I'm indeed from the future... About 23 years. And there you are indeed my whitelighter, a pretty good one, actually." And when the young man blushed at this, the witch-Elder smiled, because it showed him that he relaxed a little.  
"Ok, now that this is settled..." Odin said to try to bring things back to the point of Steve's rescue, but didn't get very far with it, since no one payed attention to him.  
"Well..." Rafael asked then, "do you know what the Oracle could have meant?"  
"Excalibur!"  
All heads turned to the entrance when they heard the voice. Michael was standing there, his arms crossed in front of his chest, leaning against the door frame. "Sorry," he then said as he pushed himself off his position and moved over to Christopher, "I overheard part of your discussion. And from what Kyle and Victor told me I guess what you forgot is that you are here because of the sword."  
"Are you talking about THE Excalibur?" Rafael asked astonished.  
Now it was Christopher who blushed: "Yeah... he does..."  
"What are you doing here, Michael?" Paige asked, thinking that this could only mean more chaos.  
The man looked at her smiling: "Since I'm Chris' knight I thought I could maybe help Christopher with his problem... At least Chris likes to talk to me to clear his mind, maybe in this case I can help in the same way."  
Leo looked at Michael for a moment, then sighed. He knew he just wanted to help but... "I think in this case you better go home and..."  
"No!" Christopher exclaimed. Then he said in a calmer voice: "He might be right. I'm here to find my way to deal with my destiny, we all know that. And in my time Chris values Michael's opinion, greatly. Maybe he's really able to help me."  
Rafael meanwhile had sat down on a chair that stood by his side. He shook his head muttering. "I'll be the whitelighter of the new King Arthur... I can't believe it."  
Phoebe shot him a sympathic smile, understanding that this all must be quite a lot to take in for a young whitelighter like him. But somehow she had the feeling that he would do a great job in the future. Then the empath turned to Christopher again. She wanted to say something, but Nicki beat her to it.  
"Ok, ok," the young witch said, "that's all great and nice. But right now we really have another problem to face, a more important problem." And Tom and Veronica agreed with her.  
"Yeah, that's true," Christopher agreed. "I'm sorry, Nicki, you're right, of course."  
"Actually," this was Cole's voice, who just returned and had heard the last few lines that where spoken, "I believe this might all be connected."  
"Cole!" Phoebe exclaimed and went over to him to give him a hug. All those emotions had drained her energy and right now it just felt good to be safely in her husband's strong arms.  
"Anything new from our friend?" Piper asked.  
"No..." Cole replied, while pressing his wife softly against his chest, holding her close, "there was no new e-mail from Julian, yet. But... You know... the stone with the sword was standing right besides Chris' desk..."  
"That's impossible, the sword is in our bedroom," Bianca remarked frowning.  
"I thought so, too, but it IS there," Cole stated again, "and now that I think about it, I guess it was searching for me." Then he told them what happened, how he touched it and how he had this vision again, only clearer this time. "And that's why I think that maybe solving one problem will also help us solve the other..."  
Everyone kept silent at this, thinking about those new information.  
"Well," Michael finally was the first to speak again, "from what Cole said and from what I head about this Oracle-thingy..." he sighed before he turned to Christopher. "maybe you should just go to the sword and have a... I don't know have a talk with it."  
"Vivienne," Bianca muttered.  
"What?" Piper asked since she was the only one who heard it.  
But Bianca looked up anyway explaining: "Chris told me he had a vision of Vivienne after he touched the sword."  
Michael smiled at this, remembering this as well. Chris had been a little confused after that, but also reassured. "Yeah," he said therefore, "I guess you are right." He patted the witch-Elders shoulder, saying, "Christopher here, needs to have a word with the Dame of the Lake."

& & & & &

Tevaal let Batim's words sink in. He wondered how could he possibly want to live anywhere else. The Ashon were his family, this was his home, yet... He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he had a feeling his half-brother was right. Somehow, he had a feeling, there was something... someone else out there for him.  
Batim looked at him a little concerned. Something about the way Tevaal held himself made him think he was still a little weak. "Are you alright, Tevaal?" he asked, placing his hand on the other's shoulder.  
"I'm just a little tired. Those potions take a lot out of me," he said, looking up at the other Ashon. Batim nodded understanding, and gave his shoulder a squeeze.  
"How about we continue this talk later? So you can get some rest?" he suggested. "Then I can tell you all about me and my family." He smiled at the younger Ashon, who in turn smiled at him.  
"Deal," Tevaal said. Then Batim got up and went to join Meehan, so the younger one could get some rest. It didn't take him long to fall asleep after he laid down. And soon after his dreams started again.  
_The long dark alley spread before him again, giving him a sense of foreboding. He knew what to expect, but he continued toward the light anyway. And sure enough, the same battle was raging again. Humans on one side, Ashon on the other. Forever caught in a stalemate, neither side destined to ever get the upper hand.  
The words they spoke were still unintelligible, the dream not allowing him to understand them. The dream. This was the first time he realized he was dreaming. And then something changed. Right when Meehan and the human female were lying, wounded and alone, a figure stepped out of the shadows at the far end of the alley. He shook his head and looked again. Yes, there was someone there, in what he had believed to be a dead end. But the man stared at him, beckoning him with his eyes to follow.  
Curious now, he followed willingly, forcing his eyes to stay on the man, so he didn't have to watch as Meehan and the human woman died again. Once he reached where the man had appeared, he realized that the alley continued. After taking a few steps more, he turned around to the scene behind him, only to see it had disappeared into the darkness. Turning back to the man in front of him, he was shocked to noticed the lights on either side of the alley turning on. And it was clear now that the man was in fact a human man. A very familiar looking human man.  
The man had stopped, patiently waiting for him to follow once more. He stared at him, trying to figure out where he had seen him before. But the memory refused to surface. So he decided to follow again.  
Though the lights had turned on, they were spaced far between, leaving dark areas that he was almost afraid to walk through. And the silence of the trek was so much, that he nearly wished for the din of the faded battle behind.  
As they walked, he failed to notice when the walls of the alley became the fancier, more ornate, red and gold wallpaper-covered walls of a long hallway. Even the lights had changed. They were no longer on the walls, but overhead, hanging from a vaulted ceiling, lighting all areas now. And the ground had changed from concrete to marble. Everything giving off a familiar feeling, like he'd been in this place before.  
A bright light finally came into view, marking the end of the long hallway. He watched as the man seemed to be engulfed in it, and he knew he was supposed to follow inside. But the light was so bright, he had to avert his eyes, so as not to be blinded. And as he passed the threshold, a very strange, prickly sensation ran through his body.  
When he emerged from the light, he was standing in a large room filled with books. There were, wall to wall and floor to ceiling, shelves, as well as tables and desks, filled with them. And there, standing in the middle of the room, were the humans he'd seen in the alley, though they were in perfect shape. No scorch marks, gaping holes, or other signs they'd been in a fight. And they were looking at him, genuinely happy to see him. It surprised him that they weren't afraid of him. After all he was an Ashon.  
Something occurred to him then, and he realized the man who had led him there was gone. He glanced at the happy faces, who seemed perplexed by his actions, as he searched the room with his eyes for the man. He soon caught movement to his left, and when he turned to look, there was a large gilded mirror leaning against a desk. The fact that he couldn't place that mirror in this room was the last thing on his mind. What he saw in the mirror, on the other hand...  
The man he'd been looking for was staring right back at him from inside the mirror. It took him a minute to realize that he was the man. He touched his now human face, which seemed strangely right somehow. Then the voice he'd heard many times in his dreams, begging for help and pleaded for forgiveness, made him turn back to those in the middle of the room.  
"Steve?" the woman asked, worried. Seeing her untouched by battle, he was stunned by her beauty. His heart called out to her, and a smile spread across his face. She smiled back, and came to him, taking him a big hug.  
"Welcome home, Steve," she said, her voice full of longing and love. Everything about her seemed to flood his mind and he squeezed his eyes shut to not lose it again. He fully returned her hug, and promised himself he'd never let her go again.  
"Nicki."  
_"Nicki!" Tevaal woke up with a start, bolting into a sitting position. Eyes wide, he stared out into the cavern, terror gripping him for a moment. As his heart slowed, the memories of her flooded back into him with full force. He remembered the first time he saw her, their first kiss, her accepting his proposal. All the memories had come back, but only the memories of her. "Nicki," he whispered as his heart ached to be with her again.  
But a new reality seeped into his mind. He was no longer the same man he had been when he'd proposed to her. He was part Ashon now, in a way he'd never been before. And he didn't know if she could handle that. He could remember the conversations he'd had with her about his people, though he hadn't thought of them that way then. So many things had changed. But his feelings for her remained. Taking a deep breath, he knew he had that much more to sort out before any of this started to make any sense.

& & & & &

About fifty feet from Tevaal's alcove, Batim was sitting and talking with Meehan. He was telling her how everything was going with him and his wife. They'd been talking for a good half hour now, and were so into their conversation, they were startled when they heard the cry from Tevaal. But what shocked them even more, was what they saw when they turned to look at him.  
Tevaal was sitting up, eyes wide, a look of terror on his face. And for a split second, he was human...

* * *

_(Chapter 6 written by Kirianna Ledräen and Chrissy.W.x)_

* * *

_**Note: Because of the heat we had the last weeks (and the fact that we needed a break because of that), the next chapter will be uploaded in three weeks, not two. Thanks for your patience.** _


	7. Chapter 7

**A Charmed Story - Fourteen:  
Ashon: Re-Evolution (Freaky Friday 2)  
Chapter 7**

Angela sat on the sofa, shaking her head. She hoped Michael's rash decision to help Christopher didn't put him in danger. It seemed ever since he had met Chris he'd been getting in an awful lot of trouble. If it wasn't some demon than it was Excalibur. And this time it seemed to be both. But on the other hand she knew none of the Halliwells would put him in danger... and without Chris they would probably still be trap in that other dimension... so there really was nothing to complain about. Still she worried for her husband's safety.  
While Angela was worrying about Michael, Kyle and Victor had brought the kids upstairs for their nap. As usual, there was a lot of fuss, but once the threesome's heads hit their pillows, they were out like lights. And suffice it to say, Wyatt was always the hardest to put down, claiming he was a big boy and no longer needed a nap. But he succumbed like the others, and soon Victor and Kyle were sneaking out of the nursery, trying not to wake the sleeping babies back up.  
"You know, I never fully appreciated how hard being a parent is, until I started dating Paige," Kyle whispered as he gently closed the nursery door.  
"It's the hardest job on Earth. And being a father to magical children, in my limited knowledge, is harder than having mortal children," Victor whispered back. Having had three witches for daughters, he only knew how hard it had been to raise them. And he had to admit to himself that he hadn't exactly been the best dad. What with Grams chasing him off, and Sam replacing him, than Patty dying... After Prue's death he had vowed to be in his daughters lives, and make up for not being there for them. His only consolation was that he'd made amends with Prue before she'd died. It would have killed him if he hadn't.  
"Yeah, I can imagine. You don't just have the normal stuff to protect them from, but demons and warlocks, and all that other evil stuff," Kyle said, his voice rising a little as they moved away from the room and towards the stairs.  
"Even so, I don't think I'd have it any other way. I had three beautiful, intelligent, strong willed daughters who save the world every day. And though it was because of magic that I lost Prue, it's also what got me my daughters back. Not to mention it gave me my beautiful grand- and great-grandchildren, and a wonderful stepdaughter as well." Victor was almost gushing when they reached the top of the stairs. He'd never stopped loving his family, but circumstances had pushed him away, and he was glad to finally be back where he belonged. With a family that much closer and stronger then he could ever have imagined.  
Kyle smiled, his mind drifting to Paige, as they headed downstairs. When she'd first come into his life, he never in a million years would have guessed what secret she held, what strange, amazing other world she protected. And thinking back on it, he wouldn't want to have it any other way either.  
As they reached the landing, the doorbell rang. Victor stopped for a second, wondering who it could be this time. But before he even finished descending the stairs, Kyle was already at the door, about to open it.  
"Package for Miss Matthews," the delivery guy said as Kyle opened the door. He took the parcel and signed the delivery sheet and was about to close the door when he heard a voice calling him.  
"Kyle!" a man said coming up the stairs. At first Kyle didn't see him because the delivery guy was blocking his view. But once they were passed each other and the newcomer came into view, it took him only a few seconds to recognize the brown haired man. Though the two didn't run in the same circles, they did occasionally cross paths at work. The rugged looking guy was a parole officer, and often ended up watching over the guys Darryl and he sent to jail once they got out.  
"Henry?" Kyle said, wondering what he was doing in this part of town. Henry strode up the rest of the stairs and held out a manila envelope to him.  
"Detective Morris asked me to give you this," he said as Kyle took the envelope.  
"How did you know where to find me?" he asked while putting Paige's package under his arm so he could open the envelope.  
"Morris told me. And do me a favor?" the parole officer said, starting to back down the stairs.  
"Sure, what?" the police officer asked, pulling a few sheets of paper out to look at.  
"Tell Morris I'm a parole officer, not an errand boy," he said, turning around and waving, then headed to his car and left. Kyle laughed at his comment, but had no intentions of telling that to Darryl. He looked down the front stairs then to make sure there was no one else coming up, than went inside and closed the door. Victor looked at him questioningly, a tray of drinks in his hands, and Angela standing beside him.  
"A package for Paige," Kyle said, holding up the box in one hand, than showing the envelope in the other, saying, "and paperwork for me."

& & & & &

_In the future..._  
Wyatt and Julia came upstairs to find Jim in a very animate description of their battle with the Monk demons a few minutes ago. Chris was sitting on the arm of a chair, listening intently. Wyatt had to shake his head at Jim's depiction of what happened, as they came to the sofa. He helped Julia sit down and went over to his cousin.  
"That's not exactly how it happened," he said, looking Jim in the eyes. Jim stopped short, dropping his arms to his sides and frowned.  
"But I thought..." he started, but Wyatt was shaking his head again.  
"You didn't see everything while hiding behind that rock, through your description is pretty close to the truth..." the Twice-Blessed said, patting his cousin on the shoulder. "Now, can you do me a big favor?" he continued before Jim could say another word.  
"Sure," he replied absentmindedly, still thinking about the battle.  
Wyatt pulled out his wallet and handed him some money. "Go to the liquor store and get some wine for tonight."  
Jim looked at the bills in his hand, shocked, than looked up at Wyatt. "But I'm too young to..." he started.  
But Wyatt cut him off. "Glamour into me if you have to. Just get some wine," he said, turning his cousin toward the door and giving him a shove. "You can borough my car. The keys are by the door."  
Jim turned back and looked at him strangely, but his feet were in motion and didn't seem to want to stop. So he picked up the keys before opening the door. "And don't forget the sparkling cider for your mom! You know she doesn't drink!" he spoke louder as Jim started to close the door behind him, waving with his free hand. "And take your time!" he yelled just after the door closed with a click. Satisfied, he turned back to find Chris staring at him, a bemused look on his face.  
"What the hell was that about?" his brother asked, staring at him.  
"I needed to get rid of him. We have to talk. But first, can you heal me?" Wyatt explained, bringing his arm around for Chris to heal.  
Chris placed his hands over Wyatt's wound and a golden glow appeared. He took a quick glance back at Julia before asking: "What's going on?"  
"I can't tell you," he started, the look on Chris's face stopping him for a second, "just yet. I need to call Chris. You both need to hear this."  
Chris nodded, wondering what on Earth was going on.  
Wyatt meanwhile turned his head to the ceiling and called: "Chris! Can you come home?! I need to talk to you!" They all waited, but nothing happened. He tried again. "Chris! Chris?!" The younger Chris meanwhile had finished healing him.  
Julia got up then, a worried look on her face. "Where is he?" she asked. The two men shook their heads in confusion.  
"CHRIS!!!!" Wyatt bellowed, startling both Chris and Julia. Orbs appeared then, but as they solidified, they realized they were forming too short for Chris. And too feminine. It was Prisca who had just arrived from Magic School.  
"Hi," she said, eyes wide, having heard Wyatt yell Chris's name, and looking among the three.  
"Where's Chris?" her blonde brother asked.  
She looked at him funny, as if he should know the answer to his own question. "Right next to you," she replied a little sarcastically.  
Wyatt rolled his eyes. "Not that Chris! The other one!" he shot back a little irritated.  
She looked at him for a minute, than looked at Chris and Julia in turn, before answering. "He was called Up There for a meeting. An important closed doors thing." She started to push passed them, when Wyatt stopped her.  
"Where are you going?"  
She looked up at him, cocked an eyebrow, wondering what his problem was. "I'm going to the kitchen to get something to eat," she said, trying to get passed him, but he wouldn't let her.  
"No, you'll ruin your appetite. We're eating soon. And shouldn't you be in Magic School anyway?"  
Prisca looked up at him, incredulous, and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm done at school for today," she said, and she knew that wasn't going to be good enough from the look on his face.  
"Actually, you're not. You're going back, and don't come back here until everyone else does. No, you know what? Don't come back here until I call you, and make sure no one else does either."  
Her mouth dropped open at this and her arms fell to her side. Before she could protest, Wyatt lifted up his hand and said, "Magic School!" And with those words she was orbed away. But before she was completely gone, they heard her angrily yell.  
"WYATT!!!"  
Chris looked at his brother, shocked. "Was that really necessary?" he asked, wondering what had come over Wyatt.  
Wyatt turned on him then, a strange look in his eyes. "Chris," he said in a tone that scared his brother.  
"No," the witch-Elder said, before Wyatt could say anymore.  
"You don't even know what I was going to ask!" the Twice-Blessed said.  
Chris crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not sure I want to hear it," he replied, eyeing him a little suspiciously. Neither of them noticed Julia sitting back down and taking shallow breaths with her hand over her mouth.  
"I just want you to go get, well, you. Up there," he said, pointing up.  
"And why can't you go? I'm not supposed to go up there, remember?" he pointed out, still eyeing him.  
"I have to stay with Julia," he said, motioning toward her. They both looked at her and their faces fell a little when they saw her face. "Honey, are you alright?" Wyatt asked, moving away from Chris and sitting next to her.  
"Um-hum," she mumbled through her hand, nodding her head.  
"Chris, please. Just go. I'm sure... you'll forgive yourself." Chris looked down at Julia, who certainly wasn't as fine as she pretended to be. Then he sighed, dropping his arms to his sides.  
"Fine. I'll be right back," he said, than orbed away.

& & & & &

_Meanwhile in our time...  
_In no time Meehan and Batim were by Tevaal's side. The male pulled his half-brother into a hug from behind, while the female took his hands in hers and caressed them.  
It took a while until Tevaal noticed their presence around him. But when he did he leaned back into the embrace of his brother and a single tear found it's way down his cheek.  
"What happened?" Meehan asked, geting more and more worried. She caressed his cheek and wipped away the salty tear.  
Tevaal just shook his head, then looked over his shoulder at his brother for a moment. And when he saw Batim nod, he explained. "I had a dream... And I remember, I remember her..."  
"Her?" Mehaan asked.  
"Nicki," Tevaal said. "She's my fiancée, I... I love her. I remeber her clearly. The first time we met and our first kiss and all that. I remember everything about her so clearly now..."  
"But that's good, isn't it?" Batim asked.  
Tevaal shook his head: "No... She loves Steve... But I am not that Steve any longer. She won't love me the way I am now... And that hurts. That hurts so badly that I wish now that I would not remember."  
"Oh Tevaal," Meehan said as Batim hugged his brother even tighter, "you don't know that. If she loves you as much as you love her, and I can see in your eyes how much you do, then I'm sure you'll work through this together. After all, you are only half-demon. You still are half-human, too."  
"And as you just proved as you woke up, you have access to that side of you... We just need to find the trigger," Batim said, his voice filled with pride.  
Now Tevaal turned around surprised. "I... I don't understand. What do you mean?"  
Batim just smiled at his brother, while Meehan explained: "For a moment, you returned to your human shape."

& & & & &

"How?" Christopher asked with a sigh.  
"Did Chris never tell you how?" Piper asked surprised. She actually thought her oldest would teach Christopher such things.  
"Well... he did... he said she'd talk to me if necessary, but..." the witch-Elder explained hesitatingly. "Well when it comes to the sword I never was a good listener."  
Now his mother rose an eyebrow, her eyes speaking volumes. "I see..."  
"That's no problem," Cole said before Piper could ground the boy or something, "I know how..."  
"Me, too," Michael added smiling.  
"What a surprise!" Christopher exclaimed sarcastically. "Of course you do, you're his knights after all."  
Michael smiled widely at Cole and elbowed him, saying: "See? I told you, you'd be one, too... It's just logical."  
Odin just shook his head and pressed through his teeth: "Christopher, could you please be more careful with any facts about the future?"  
The witch-Elder blushed: "Sorry, I... I didn't know that he doesn't know... And the way he talked I thought..."  
"Yeah, yeah... we got it," Piper said getting impatient, while Leo gave her shoulders a comforting squeeze. Then she turned to the two men and asked: "How?"  
"Simple," Michael said, "he just has to touch the sword..." And Cole nodded agreeing.  
Christopher sighed, remembering that Chris once had said something like that. "Ok then... Uncle Cole, Mike, Rafael? Would you come with me?"  
"Sure," Michael said. Cole nodded at this and even Rafael agreed through a little hesitatingly.  
"We're coming with you," Leo said and pushed Piper forward. Also Bianca wanted to join them. So the seven of them left for Chris' office.  
Phoebe sighed when she watched her husband leave her side. She felt a little light-headed and concluded that this was most likely because of all the emotional stress around. She shook her head slightly to clear it a bit and then said: "Ok, guys... I'm off to the meditating chamber for a bit, I need some rest." And with this she left the library, too, trying to only think of that special room with the soft fluffy carpet and cosy pillows and the smell of vanilla everywhere...  
Tom and Veronica meanwhile stepped closer to Nicki, the latter pulling her friend into a close hug.  
"What do you think, girls?" Tom then asked. "Shall we go get something to eat? I don't know about you, but I am starving...."  
Nicki nodded smiling at him: "Yeah I guess we all could need a break..." And so those three left, too.  
Piage then excused herself also, thinking she could use a little time off from all this as well... After all, Kyle was at the manor, and he surely would like to give her a relaxing massage...  
And that left Odin and Silas alone.  
For a moment none of the Elders said a word, both following their own stream of thoughts.  
"Odin?" Silas finally spoke, his voice thoughtful.  
The other Elder looked up at this: "Yeah?"  
"I'm worried..."  
Odin went over to his friend to sit by his side. "About what?" he asked.  
"Elenia," the younger one said. "She acts not rational. It's as if she isn't herself."  
"She's worried," Odin remarked, feeling with her.  
"Yeah but still... it's not Elder-like to act like this... She's so full of hatred," Silas remarked. "I'm worried that we might lose her."  
"You're right," Odin agreed. "And I guess Nicki is right as well, with what she said earlier. That demon hurt Elenia in a way none of us can understand."  
Silas nodded at this: "Maybe you should talk to her..."  
The older Elder shook his head: "No, you'll do it... I will look after Christopher."  
"But," Silas complained, "you're the older one. She won't even listen to me..."  
"And Christopher is my Godchild and I want to be there for him as it is meant to be."  
Silas nodded at this, through he didn't agree. But if he learned one thing during those days, then that there was no point in arguing with Odin when it came to Christopher. The older Elder really cared deeply for that boy. So with a sigh he watched his friend leave the library before he himself orbed away to find Elenia.

& & & & &

Paige orbed into a very quiet house. She looked around wondering where everyone had gone to. There was no sign of a struggle, so she assumed everyone was alright. She looked at the grandfather clock to check the time. It was short before four, which meant the kids were most likely still down for their nap. 'But where are the adults?' she thought, looking around. Then she heard a muffled sound coming from the kitchen, so she went to investigate.  
What she saw was Victor and Angela quietly laughing and talking. They looked up as she entered, big smiles on their faces.  
"Paige! You're home early," Victor said, getting off his chair and getting a coffee refill.  
"Yeah, we seem to have had a breakthrough. And while Christopher and some of the other are following it, the rest of us take a few minutes to breathe," she said, a small smile touching her lips. She then turned to Angela, "Welcome home Angela! I take it you had a good trip?"  
"Thanks, Paige. Yes I did. It was a very good trip," the other woman said, still smiling broadly, then changed the subject, "did Michael come back with you?"  
"No, sorry, he went with Christopher."  
Angela's face fell, wondering what trouble he was going to get himself into this time.  
Paige caught her mood change, and reassured her. "He'll be fine. Christopher just has to talk to Vivienne. So Michael and a few others thought they'd accompany him."  
"Where does he have to go to talk to her?" Victor asked, curious, as he offered her a cup of coffee, which she gladly accepted.  
"Apparently, he just has to touch the sword," the Charmed One replied, then took a sip of her coffee.  
"So what is this big breakthrough, anyway?" Victor asked, now getting Angela a refill.  
"Cole had another vision. It seems this whole Steve-thing is connected to Christopher being here, somehow. Hence the talk with Vivienne," she explained. Both Victor's and Angela's eyes grew wide with shock.  
"They're connected? How?" Angela asked, staring at Paige.  
"That, we still don't know. But hopefully this will all be settled soon," she said, rubbing her stiff shoulder. The others nodded at this. She looked around the kitchen then, realization hitting her that Kyle wasn't in here. "Where's Kyle?"  
"He's in Cole's office," Victor answered, a smile creeping onto his lips.  
Paige cocked an eyebrow in intrigue. "Cole's office?" she asked, eyeing him.  
"Some paperwork was delivered for him earlier. He thought he could get some of it done in there, since it's quiet," he explained, then said as an afterthought, "oh, and your package came. Kyle has it with him."  
"Okay, thanks. I'll go check on him," she said, then put her half empty coffee cup on the counter and left the kitchen.

& & & & &

_Meanwhile in the future...  
_As Chris materialized up there, he found himself shocked, for it wasn't the same white fluffy clouded place he remembered. Oh, the white fluffy clouds were still there, but there was so much more. It seemed calmer, more peaceful, but at the same time happier, more joyful. There was a large golden fountain in the middle of the courtyard, the water trickling down sounding like little bells. Gold accents had been added to all the doors and columns, making them look refined. The old stone benches had been replaced by more intricately detailed ones, while urns filled with flowers had been placed beside them. Even the Elders robes had been updated.  
Chris slowly started walking toward where the meeting room used to be, hoping that it was still there. As he looked around himself, it amazed him how everything had changed so much, yet was still the same. Though many things had been replaced, many things had not. The bright white that was everywhere, though seeming to gleam even brighter, was still the same, as where the stairs the lead into each building, even the columns where the same underneath the added filigree. And the path beneath his feet hadn't changed in millennia.  
As he continued down the path, he saw a familiar looking Elder talking to one he'd never seen before. And they seemed to be having a heated discussion. They were standing by another golden fountain, this one smaller than the last, but the water still sounding like little bells. Chris moved in closer, curiosity getting the better of him, and placed himself just behind a column and listened. He was glad that the fountain wasn't so loud that it overpowered the two Elders.  
"He's still bringing them down there! Do you know how insane that is?" the familiar Elder said angrily.  
"Elenia, it's his decision," the second Elder said, trying to be the voice of reason.  
"His decision? Do you know how many bad decisions he's made since they took him? That's all he's been doing!" Elenia yelled, not caring who heard her, the redness of her face clashing with the white and gold surroundings.  
"Elenia, please! Things have changed since then," the other Elder said, trying to calm her down.  
"The only thing that's changed is him! He's never been the same!" she said, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. Chris wondered what, or more precisely who, they were talking about. Seeing as it was Elenia, there wasn't much change in her since the last time he'd seen her, and seeing how she was reacting, there wasn't really much that could set her off like that.  
"Dad?" The sweet voice cut into his thoughts, stopping him from finishing them. He turned around, rather guiltily, to face Hope. She had a small smirk on her face, trying to hold back a laugh, as she knew he'd been eavesdropping.  
"Hope. Hi..." he said, a little embarrassed. Elenia was still arguing with the other Elder, but Chris forced himself to pay attention to his daughter.  
"Dad is this way. Come on, I'll take you. And keep you from getting distracted again," she said, giving him a wink and taking his arm. She led him the way he'd started in, both walking at a leisurely pace.  
"Didn't you come up here with Dad... grandpa, earlier?" he asked her as they walked.  
"Yeah, but then the Elders got going, and wanted Dad up here. You remember how it is?" she said, grinning at him. He smirked at the thought.  
"Yeah, I remember. So why aren't you still in there? Getting bored out of your mind?" he said, laughing a little. The thought of those long 'important' Elder meetings making him glad he didn't have to attend.  
"Because Dad, you, told me to come out here and wait for you. He wanted me to bring you to him," she replied sincerely.  
"Of course he would. He knows everything else. Why not that I was coming up here to get him," he said, a little annoyed with himself. His future self, that is. "You know, he could have made it easier by just coming down when Wyatt called him."  
"Then you wouldn't have overheard what you just did," she said, hinting about Elenia and the other Elder's conversation. Chris laughed in spite of himself.  
"Whatever happened to 'future consequences'?" he asked, shaking his head. They both laughed, knowing the rules seemed to have changed this time. At least for a few things, anyway.  
"Well, whatever future consequences there are, they must be insignificant in the grand scheme of things. So, don't worry about it," she said, squeezing his arm. Then looking at a large pair of golden doors, ones Chris recognized, said, "here we are! I'll go get Dad. Family emergency, right?"  
"Yes. Isn't it always?" Chris laughed, remembering how many 'family emergencies' they've had over the years. Hope let go of his arm, walked up the stairs and slipped inside. He found himself looking around, trying to find what else was new. There were more new benches, another fountain, even gilded statuary was added at the base of the stairs. And a magnificent flower garden had been planted just off the path, beyond the fountain. But the hall itself, at least from the outside, looked pretty much the same.  
It was less than a minute when the older Chris emerged from the hall alone. He descended the stairs quickly, knowing what was waiting for him at home.  
"Enjoying your little foray out of the manor?" he asked his younger self, grinning.  
"Yeah, it's been... interesting," he said, returning the grin.  
"Well, we should get back before Wyatt alienates anyone else," the older witch-Elder said, taking a couple of steps away from the stairs.  
"Just one thing. I overheard Elenia talking to an Elder. Who was she talking about?" the younger Chris asked, having taken the other's arm and turning him to face him.  
"That, you'll find out when you get back to your time. But right now, we really have to deal with Wyatt." And before past Chris could say another word, and while he was still holding his older self's arm, the older Chris orbed them both back to the manor.

& & & & &

_In the present...  
_Paige made her way to Cole's office, excitement building in her. She felt like it had been too long since she'd last seen him. With everything that had been going on, with all the stress that was a byproduct of that, she was really glad she had this little break so she could spend some time with him.  
When she got to her destination, she found the door slightly ajar. She pushed it lightly, trying not to make a sound, and peeked inside.  
Kyle was sitting at the desk, head down, pen in hand, and looking frustrated. He was tapping the pen against the desk, wishing for a magical solution to the paperwork. And he was so caught up in it that he failed to notice Paige entering the room and coming up behind him.  
"Hi, Honey," she said, slipping her arms around his waist, startling him. He dropped the pen, his hand coming up to his heart.  
"Paige! You scared me! Did you orb in?" he asked, once he caught his breath.  
"No, I came in the old fashion way. The door," she said, than gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she apologized, hugging him tighter.  
"It's alright, Sweetheart. No harm done," he said, taking one of her hands and kissing it. "So what are you doing home so soon? Has Steve been rescued?" he asked, turning his head to look at her.  
"Unfortunately, no. But we seem to be on the verge of a solution," she explained. Kyle's face lit at this, his hopeful expression making her go on. "Cole had another vision. This one clearer than his last. It seems Christopher's being here has something to do with helping Steve. So he and a few others went to consult Vivienne. The rest of us decided to take a breather."  
"Wow. That's great! I hope everything gets sorted out soon. And how are Elenia and Nicki doing?" At this, Paige straightened up and sighed, the thought of Elenia not sitting well with her.  
"Well, Nicki seems to be ok. She came out of her room earlier, finally. She's determined to bring Steve back, and doing much better now, what with a possible solution in sight. And Elenia... Well, lets just say she's none too happy about Steve being half demon," she explained. Kyle looked up at her.  
"But I thought Steve was already half demon?" he asked, a little confused.  
"He was. Just don't tell that to Elenia," she said, insinuatingly. He looked at her, stunned, not completely sure he understood what she was saying, and not completely sure he wanted to. "Anyway, I was hoping for a little relaxation time with you," she said, flirting, as she turned him and the chair around to face her.  
"Oh, beautiful, I wish I could. But I have to finish this damn paperwork," he said feeling really badly about having to reject her right now.  
Paige's face fell. "Oh. Will it take long?" she asked, pouting, trying another tactic.  
"I don't know. If I could just get past this one bit that's bugging me..." he said, turning his head back to the papers in front of him. She sat in his lap, then, surprising him.  
"Well, I guess I have a little time to spare," she said, running her fingers through his hair. "So, how about I go take a shower while you finish this. At least as much as you can. Than we can spend a little time together before we both have to get back to work?" she said seductively.  
His heart started to race as he looked into her eyes, and part of him wanted to forget all about the paperwork. "Okay. Sounds like a plan," he said. A large, warm smile spread across her face, and she kissed him before getting up.  
"Then I'll see you in a bit," she said, than slowly walked out of the room.  
Kyle watched her go, longing for her touch. Even after she'd gone, he still stared at the door. Then he just made up his mind. Looking back at the desk, he sighed, than got up and followed her.

& & & & &

Silas orbed up there, thinking it was a good place to start looking for Elenia. There were a few other Elders nearby, some sitting on the old benches, others taking a quiet stroll down the ancient path. But Elenia wasn't one of them. Not that he expected her to be. So he closed his eyes, and focused his attention on sensing her. Soon after, he found her nearby in a clearing surrounded by old pillars.  
Feeling her anxiety, he thought it best to orb to her. And from the look on her face when he materialized, he knew he was in trouble. She'd been pacing back and forth between the columns, a scowl on her face, trying to figure out what to do next, stopping only for a second when he orbed in.  
Silas took a deep breath and swallowed hard, knowing Odin should have come here instead of him. He cleared his throat to get her attention, but she ignored him. So he took another deep breath and spoke. "Elenia?"  
"I don't want to hear it," she griped, cutting him off before he could say anything else.  
But he knew he couldn't just leave her be. "Elenia, please..." he tried again.  
"Did Odin send you?" she asked, finally looking at him. Though he wished she hadn't. Elenia's eyes were full of anger.  
"Yes, but..."  
"Figures he'd send you," she said turning away again.  
"Elenia..."  
"Not that he would have helped. Not with everyone against me," she continued, more to herself now, than to Silas.  
He sensed something else in her then, like some idea was coming into being, and not necessarily a good one. "Elenia, please, we have to talk about this." He was actually surprise he got the whole sentence out, but he was more surprised by Elenia's response.  
"You still here?" she said suddenly, as if she'd expected him to leave.  
"Elenia..." But it was too late, she orbed away. He closed his eyes and sensed for her again, his eyes opening in wonder when he realized where she'd gone. He quickly followed her, hoping she wouldn't orb again before he got there.

& & & & &

Julian and John were working side by side in silence, at least until the latter one started to snicker slightly and shake his head.  
"What?" Julian asked frowning.  
"Nothing," John said, "it's just that this is all so weird." And when Julian still looked at him frowning, he explained a little more. "All this... you and me working together... and together with him. And this lab here... A laboratory that is almost as good AND clean as the one at magic school, and that HERE in the underworld."  
At this Julian rose his eyebrows, before he replied with a grin: "Almost? My dear friend, I can tell you that we have more ingredients stored than your pathetic little excuse of a lab at the school..."  
John laughed at this and shook his head again before they both turned back to their work. They had not much of the potion left, so Julian had taken a bit for a mass-spectroscopic analysis to find out its ingredients while John did some tests by hand to get some information about its effects onto someone.  
But so far the results were more or less meaningless. Julian had just found some herbs and some ether-compounds like in every common potion. And also John's tests had shown no effect to health or magic-level.  
But then Julian noticed another mass-peak on the computer, a small one but still clear. "Oh my..." he said, staring at the screen.  
"What?" John said looking over his shoulder... Not that he really understood what he saw, he wasn't an expert on this analytical method.  
"We were right..." the demonic witch muttered. Then turning to his fellow again he smiled and exclaimed: "We were right!"  
"About what?" John asked.  
But Julian was already on his way to Belthazor who was still sitting in the other room, reading.  
John entered short after the demonic witch, seeing how the source looked at him expectantly, while Julian again said "We were right!"  
"What did you find?" Belthazor asked.  
"I analysed the potion and I found a mass of 112, and then I also looked at 152, and there was also a peak" Julian explained. And when everyone still looked at him wondering, he added: "Cytosine and Guanine!"  
Now Belthazor stood up from the chair he was sitting in, his eyes shining in excitement: "Are you sure?"  
Julian nodded.  
"Ok, ok..." John said at this, "this might sound stupid, but... what does that mean?"  
"DNA!" Belthazor exclaimed.

* * *

_(Chapter 7 written by Kirianna Ledräen and Chrissy.W.x)_

* * *

_**Note: Because of the fact, that half of our team was sick for two weeks , the next chapter will be uploaded in three weeks, not two. And we really hope that this will be the last time that you have to wait a week more than usual. Thanks for your patience.** _


	8. Chapter 8

**A Charmed Story - Fourteen:  
Ashon: Re-Evolution (Freaky Friday 2)  
Chapter 8**

John looked a little confused from one to the other. "DNA?"  
Julian nodded: "This potion contains DNA, probably from Ashon blood... So this means that most likely it is a genetic-memory-transfer-potion."  
The whitelighter frowned: "A genetic what?"  
At this Belthazor rolled his eyes, muttering: "What do those damn Elders teach you up there in this stupid whitelighter training?" Then he shook his head before he sat down again.  
Meanwhile Julian explained, or better tried to. "There are three types of potion that contain demon blood. One can be sort out right from the start, because the Ashon won't vanquish Steve. Then there is the genetic manipulation potion, but Steve is already Ashon so there is no need for it."  
"Ok... this far I can follow," John said nodding.  
"The third type is a genetic memory transfer potion..." Julian went on.  
"Some demons pass on their knowledge with those potions, others they ability to control their powers, others do both. It's easier and much faster than teaching things the normal way, which can come in handy at times," Belthazor explained with a wink.  
"And you believe that's what they do to him?"  
Julian nodded: "Most likely, yes."  
John sat down on a chair, muttering: "Wow..." Then turning to the others again, he asked: "And what do we do now?"

& & & & &

Silas orbed up there, thinking it was a good place to start looking for Elenia. There were a few other Elders nearby, some sitting on the old benches, others taking a quiet stroll down the ancient path. But Elenia wasn't one of them. Not that he expected her to be. So he closed his eyes, and focused his attention on sensing her. Soon after, he found her nearby in a clearing surrounded by old pillars.  
Feeling her anxiety, he thought it best to orb to her. And from the look on her face when he materialized, he knew he was in trouble. She'd been pacing back and forth between the columns, a scowl on her face, trying to figure out what to do next, stopping only for a second when he orbed in.  
Silas took a deep breath and swallowed hard, knowing Odin should have come here instead of him. He cleared his throat to get her attention, but she ignored him. So he took another deep breath and spoke. "Elenia?"  
"I don't want to hear it," she griped, cutting him off before he could say anything else.  
But he knew he couldn't just leave her be. "Elenia, please..." he tried again.  
"Did Odin send you?" she asked, finally looking at him. Though he wished she hadn't. Elenia's eyes were full of anger.  
"Yes, but..."  
"Figures he'd send you," she said turning away again.  
"Elenia..."  
"Not that he would have helped. Not with everyone against me," she continued, more to herself now, than to Silas.  
He sensed something else in her then, like some idea was coming into being... and not necessarily a good one. "Elenia, please, we have to talk about this." He was actually surprised he got the whole sentence out, but he was more surprised by Elenia's response.  
"You still here?" she said suddenly, as if she'd expected him to leave.  
"Elenia..." But it was too late, she orbed away. He closed his eyes and sensed for her again, his eyes opening in wonder when he realized where she'd gone. He quickly followed her, hoping she wouldn't orb again before he got there.

& & & & &

_Meanwhile in the future...  
_When Chris and... well Chris orbed in to the manor's living room, the place was empty.  
"The emergency seems to be gone..." the younger one said shrugging. This was really weird.  
But the older Chris just smiled knowingly and said: "I wouldn't count on that." And right the next second they heard the toilet being flushed and only a few seconds later a very pale Julia emerged from it, held closely by a very worried looking Wyatt.  
The younger Chris was immediately by their side and helped Wyatt to guide Julia to the sofa. "Ok, I wanna know what's going on here... No excuses or beating around the bush... ok?" he demanded then when he saw his older version smile, while Wyatt still looked worried at his girlfriend.  
"Can I get you anything?" Wyatt asked Julia, while kneeling in front of her, without paying attention to any of his brothers.  
She shook her head and smiled at him. "No, thanks," she said as she placed her hand on his cheek and caressed it lovingly. He was so cute when he was worried about her, he was so protective... And she could see his love shining in his eyes. "I'm fine," she declared after a while, "I'm actually feeling better now."  
Wyatt smiled, sat down by her side and took his arms around her to hold her close.  
"Wyatt?" the younger Chris then asked, his arms crossed in front of his chest and his foot tapping impatient.  
At this the blonde man finally looked up and at Chris as if he'd seen him for the first time. Then he shook his head and muttered: "Sorry, I'm a little bewildered, I guess..."  
"Yeah we can see that, but please..." the younger Chris said as he sat down on the edge of the table, "tell us what's going on..."  
"Chris..." the older one tried to calm down his younger version, who by now looked worried himself.  
But before he could say more Wyatt blurted out: "I'm pregnant..."  
Julia and the older Chris had to smile when they heard those words, through the younger Chris just started at his brother as if he had grown a second head. "What?" he asked confused.  
Wyatt then realized what he had said and blushed, before he explained, or better tried to: "I mean... she's... we're... Chris, damn it, you're becoming an uncle!" And when those last words were out you could see those news written all over Wyatt's face. He was smiling widely, his cheeks were flushed from excitement and his eyes were sparkling like he had magically banned the whole Milky Way in it.  
The older Chris meanwhile watched in amusement how those news slowly settled into his younger versions mind, wondering if he really had looked that stupid, too, 23 years ago... The younger Chris' expression changed from complete confusion to lack of understanding, to deep thinking, to realization, to... to deep and endless joy. "Oh my God!" he exclaimed and hugged first Wyatt and then Julia tightly. "I can't believe it... I'll be an uncle... you're getting a baby!!!!"  
Then both he and Wyatt turned to the older Chris and both said at the same time: "So that's what the trouble was about?"  
At this the older one nodded. "Yes... Since 'I was always not very happy with this myself'," and he made a quote-sign into the air with his fingers, "I will be able to talk to them, make them see reason... at least I hope. Because now that things have happened, we need to deal with it, right?" And as Wyatt and Julia nodded he went on: "And the best way is for you to move in here, Julia... because if little one in there is in any way like his daddy, then you'll have a lot of fun during your pregnancy..."  
At this all men chuckled while Julia paled. "What do you mean?" she asked.  
"Wyatt hugged her even closer as if that would wash away her worries and said: "Nothing bad... You might just be able to use some of the little one's powers, that's all..."  
"And you say that's nothing bad?" she gave back, but smiled none the less...  
The older Chris then clapped his hands. "Ok, I think I make a tea for you Julia, which will help with your nausea, and then I call Michael and invite your parents over for dinner... And you," at this is pointed at Wyatt, "call mom and dad and break the news to them."  
Hearing this Wyatt winced. Somehow he was sure his mom would try to ground him for the rest of his live...

& & & & &

_Back in our time..._  
Christopher entered his brother's office followed by the lot. A little uncertain he looked around. But when his eyes traveled to Michael and Cole he saw them nod. So he took a deep breath and moved closer to the sword which was firmly placed in the old rock.  
"There is nothing to worry about, buddy," Cole reassured him again. Christopher nodded and then rose his hand to the handle, feeling the cold metal under his fingers.  
For a moment nothing happened as Christopher stared at the beautiful sword. But then he suddenly felt a soft breeze and when he looked up he was at the shore of a lake, somewhere in a green landscape.  
"Hello Christopher," a soft voice came from behind.  
Startled the young man turned around to face a beautiful woman in a white, angel-like dress, smiling at him. "Are you... Are you Vivienne?" he stammered, astonished by her appearance.  
She bowed her head. "I am..."  
"Ummm... Hey." Christopher said, waving his hand, shyly.  
Vivienne smiled at him as she stepped closer: "No need to feel insecure, I don't bite." And when the young witch-Elder blushed furiously she asked: "What can I do for you, future heir of the throne of Camelot, owner of Excalibur."  
"I... I'm not sure..." he really had no idea what to ask or do.  
Vivienne smiled at him and nodded. "That I can see..." she said as she placed her hand over his heart. Then she looked up at him: "You are worried that you can't fill those shoes. Your other half must do quite a good job in the future if you are feeling so inferior."  
"Well... he's the best," Christopher said smiling proudly, "he always knows what to do."  
Vivienne nodded: "As do you... You just have to trust yourself."  
"But..."  
"No 'but's Christopher," the woman said with finality in her voice. "YOU are meant for this. And if that's any help, in this time your other half is as insecure as you."  
"Really?"  
Vivienne nodded: "He hasn't found his way yet, same as you. But something tells me that you already know the path, what has to be done. You are just too afraid to go down that road."  
"I guess I'm afraid to do something wrong," Christopher admitted.  
"Well, therefore you are human. It's nothing wrong with making mistakes, my boy, as long as you learn from them. No one is perfect, not even Arthur was, but what you both have in common is the respect of others, because of your actions and your believes."  
"I guess..." the witch-Elder replied, thinking back to the sad story of the old king.  
Vivienne smiled at him as her hand moved from his heart to his face to caress his cheek: "You already know that the only important thing is to do what's right. And I know for sure that you can distinguish right from wrong. So stop worrying and follow your heart."  
Christopher nodded smiling. "I will... Thank you."  
"Your friend needs you..." she told him.  
He looked at her for a moment, then nodded. And as soon as he did, Vivienne began to fade away, same as the green grass, the trees and the lake until all was left was his brother's office. Christopher had wanted to ask more wanted to ask her what do to, but... Vivienne was gone. And through she had not told him much, still she had told him enough to make him feel better, lighter... And that weird idea he had when Cole said that Steve and Excalibur were connected, came right back to his mind... after all he knew some things no one else in this time did.

& & & & &

Everyone in the room, but especially Piper and Leo, watched Christopher curiously as he touched the sword. Immediately the young man froze in place, as if affected by Piper's freezing power.  
"What's happening?" Piper asked. But Leo immediately hushed her. "Do you think he might here us?" she whispered then.  
"I don't know," Cole said in a low voice. "So better not risk disturbing him."  
A few minutes passed and Bianca, who stood a little to Christopher's left, suddenly saw him smile.  
"I hope that's a good sign," Leo said, after Bianca had told them what she had seen.  
A few more moments went by, while everyone was watching him, lost in their own thoughts. Michael and Cole were wondering if this would help the young man, or if there was anything more they could do to help. Bianca on the other hand watched all this with interest, since Chris never really shared anything about the sword with her, nor with anyone... actually he tried his best to avoid this topic or to even think about it. And Leo's and Piper's mind were of course filled with worry, worry that their baby could get hurt in which way ever.  
And finally there was Rafael. The young whitelighter didn't think much. In fact he felt a little blank, because all this was too much for him to really comprehend. He would be the whitelighter of the new King Arthur. He shook his head. 'This must be a mistake,' he thought, since he had no experience in this, nor did he know much about magic yet. And again he wondered why the Oracle had chosen him for this, since he was sure a more mature, wiser Elder would have been much better for this job than him.  
Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and startled. Turning around he found Odin smiling at him. He hadn't heard him entering but somehow he was glad that he was there.  
Then the Elder bent forward and whispered to his ear: "Don't worry. I'm sure you are the right one for this job. Just try to be his friend." Rafael nodded at this, through still not sure. He wanted to tell his feelings to the Elder but he couldn't...  
Because right that moment Christopher moved again. First it was just a movement of his shoulders. Then he shook his head before he turned around, a smile still on his face.  
"What?" he asked when he saw everyone staring at him.  
"Are you alright?" Leo asked, his voice calm as usual through in the inside he was worried like everyone else.  
Christopher nodded at this question. "Yeah, I'm fine."  
"Could she tell you anything useful?"  
The witch-Elder turned to Cole who had asked the question. Then he sighed: "Nothing explicit, no... But somehow I have the feeling that still she told me everything I needed to hear."  
"So that's good then?" Odin asked.  
Christopher nodded at this. "Yeah I think so..." he said, "let's go back to the library. I guess I know now what to do..." Then he smiled and added: "Yeah I... I have a plan..."

& & & & &

At the other end of the school, in the cafeteria, Nicki and Veronica sat at a table while Tom was in the kitchen to get them some food. As soon as the young man had left the girl, Veronica started to talk to her friend. She actually wanted to lighten her mood but she couldn't help the fact that the discussion went to serious topics again, namely Steve.  
"I'm worried about what will happen," Nicki admitted.  
"You mean, if he will want to stay demon?"  
"No... No, really... I don't care if he's half demon or not. I never cared before and I won't start with that now. I..." She took a deep breath. "I'm just afraid that he doesn't love me anymore. I mean... Cole said he is most likely in shock and maybe can't remember who he was, so what if he has forgotten me, too."  
"Oh I doubt he has... I mean, if he can't remember anything, he might not... but..." Veronica was not sure how to say it without making things worse, through she was already on the best way to achieve that form the look on Nicki's face. But finally she said: "Even if he can't remember, I'm sure if he sees you, he will remember, and he will remember that he loves you with all his heart.  
Nicki sighed at his: "I hope you are right..."  
For a moment both kept silent. That was until Veronica noticed something her friend had said moments before: "You said you don't care if he's a demon... I mean... I also don't care that Tom is a Phoenix, but... What if Steve stays in his demonic form from now on... the Ashon aren't really...well..." And again Veronica knew she talked too much. "God, you know what I mean, don't you?"  
Nicki looked at the other woman, unsure if she should be amused, or angry or whatever. Then she nodded and her eyes were full of determination, when she said: "I said I don't care and I mean it. I saw Steve before he left with them. And yes, I don't care how he looks as long as he still loves me."  
"Wow..." Veronica muttered, not sure if she could do this if she'd be in Nicki's position. Then she said: "I'm sure he still loves you, Nicki. He would be really stupid if he wouldn't."  
Her friend smiled at this and nodded: "I hope you are right."  
"Right about what?" Tom asked as he placed a tray with salads and fruits on the table.  
"Nothing," Nicki replied and grabbed herself an apple.

& & & & &

_In the future..._  
As soon as they had decided what to do, everything seemed to happen all at once. Phoebe and Bianca returned home with Liam just as Chris picked up the phone to call Michael and Angela. An annoyed Prisca returned with Paige and her cousins, nieces and nephews from Magic School. She exchanged looks with Wyatt, but Paige kept them apart, sending her, Chris's twins, and Phoebe's girls upstairs to do some homework before dinner. The younger kids went out back to play, while Paige confronted Wyatt about why he'd sent Prisca back to Magic School. With Phoebe nearby, he told them he'd explain everything once Chris and Christopher were back where they belonged, and asked Phoebe if he, Julia, and the older Chris could use her bedroom to talk in private with Michael and Angela once they got there. Phoebe agreed, then she, Paige and the younger Chris went into the kitchen to start preparing the rest of their dinner. Of course they asked him what he knew, but he denied knowing anything. And Bianca looked between Chris and Wyatt for a minute, saying nothing, but knowing everything, then silently went upstairs to clean Liam up before dinner.  
Chris had sent Wyatt and Julia into Phoebe's room, just as Cole and Jim arrived simultaneous. Cole was helping Jim with his load of wine, and was grumbling about why Wyatt had sent him to the liquor store unsupervised. Chris found himself laughing as the two made their way to the kitchen. Then he turned around when he heard someone else at the door. He thought it was pretty fast of Michael and Angela, but when he opened the door, he found his mother standing there with some extra food from the restaurant. He quickly took the bags from her, and helped her bring them to the kitchen.  
"Has Wyatt called you?" he asked, closing the door behind him. Piper looked at him, suspiciously.  
"No. I haven't spoken to him almost all day. Why?" she asked, as she headed toward the dinning room.  
"Just curious. This smells great! You outdid yourself again," he said, quickly changing the subject as they entered the kitchen. Of course she wasn't taking it.  
"Chris..." Everyone in the kitchen was watching them, wondering what was going on.  
"Mom..." he started, then nodded toward his younger self.  
"Future consequences," she and her sisters all said together, shaking their heads. A suspicious look formed on Cole's face, who was wondering what was going on. Moments later Kyle came in through the kitchen door, looking exhausted, and went straight to Paige and kissed her on the cheek, causing Jim to make a face. Everyone smiled at this, some thinking, typical teenager. Then the doorbell rang before the older Chris had to answer any more questions.  
"Saved by the bell," his younger self said, smiling at himself, knowing Piper wasn't about to let it go. Everyone in the room then turned to him. "I don't know anything! Future consequences, remember?" he said, defensively.  
The older Chris smiled to himself as he heard what his other self had said. Hopefully they'd believe he didn't know anything. For Michael's sake. He reached the door then, and taking a deep breath, opened it. Michael and Angela were standing there, curious looks on their faces. He greeted them quickly and ushered them inside.  
"What's going on, Chris?" Michael asked, suspiciously, looking at his old friend.  
"Listen, I want you to do me a favor," Chris started, looking between the two. They both nodded while exchanging looks.  
"Sure, what is it?" his knight asked.  
"Wyatt and Julia are waiting to talk to you both. And I want you to listen to what they have to say before you react. And I mean listen to everything. Let them do the talking. There'll be plenty of time for you to react. Please," he explained. Their faces dropped, uncertainty and worry filling their expressions.  
"Chris, what's going on?" Angela asked, fearing the worst.  
"It's not my place to tell you. Please, they're waiting," he said, motioning to Phoebe's bedroom door. They both looked at it, wondering what could possibly be so important. Then, taking a deep breath, Michael opened the door and followed Angela inside.

& & & & &

_In the present...  
_When Silas materialized, he was in awe at their surroundings. It was sometime after midnight, and the remnants of the days heat was long gone. He looked out at the vast sandy plains, barely visible in the glare of the nearby city's lights. He wasn't sure why Elenia had chosen to come here, but he had to admit the view from up here was breathtaking.  
Elenia hadn't seemed to notice he'd followed right away, and had continued her pacing. But since there were no pillars up here, she walked from one edge of the pyramid to the other. It was when she turned that she saw him looking out over Egypt, the Nile sparkling under the moonlight in the distance.  
"Are you following me?" she asked angrily, the moonlight giving her eyes a strange, unnerving appearance. Silas was startled by the harshness in her voice, and almost took a step off the side of the pyramid.  
"Elenia, please, come back with me. We can still save Steve," he pleaded, hoping against hope that he could get through to her.  
"If you want to save Steve, than leave me alone!" she barked out before orbing away again. Silas let out a sigh, and focused on her, sensing for her again. And again he was surprised by the location she picked.  
It was daytime again when he materialized this time. And again, the view was amazing. A lush rain forest spread out for miles in every direction, a river that could only be the Amazon, snaking through the trees. Though he wasn't on a pyramid this time, the temple ruins under his feet were equally awe inspiring.  
Silas pulled his attention from the breathtaking view much quicker this time, and focused on Elenia. She was standing near the edge, her back to him, seemingly focused on something beyond her sight. The heat rising from the ruins distorted her form, making her look more like an angel. Until she turned around.  
There was something in her eyes that frightened Silas. And he wasn't sure if it was real or just the distortion from the heat. But either way, he had a feeling they were going to lose her if she couldn't be made to see the truth, and soon.  
She glared at him for a moment, not sure what to make of him. Then an idea suddenly came into mind, and she slowly approached him.  
"Help me," she said, the anger seemingly gone from her. Silas let out a sigh of relief he hadn't realize he'd been holding.  
"Of course I'll help you! Come, we'll go back up to the others..." he started hopefully, the rising heat concealing the fact that her body stiffened.  
"No. Come with me. Help me save Steve," she corrected, determination mixing with anger inside her, along with something else. Something Silas couldn't put his finger on. Something bad.  
"Elenia, if you want to save your son, you'll come back with me," he said in a small voice, trying not to provoke her. It didn't work.  
"That won't save my son! Now leave me be!" she yelled before orbing away yet again. He took in a deep breath, struggling to focus this time. He was getting unnerved by her reactions, and the moist heat wasn't helping. This time when he found her, it was somewhere much more familiar.

& & & & &

The meditation room was a place for those with psychic abilities, telepathy and empathy specifically, to get away from the constant psychic bombardment of the masses around them. The room was large and rounded, with dim lighting and small fountains to provide a calming atmosphere. Large pillows were laid around the room, some in alcoves, giving those who frequented a comfortable place to sit and meditate. But the most impressive feature was the walls. They were built, and subsequently enchanted, to keep out the most powerful thoughts and emotions.  
Once inside the walls, the chaotic world outside was stripped away, leaving only peace. The only minds they could hear, would belong to those inside the room. And more often than not, the room only had one occupant at a time. And so those inside were free of their powers until someone else entered or they left. It was the perfect place to relax and sort out ones own feelings.  
That was why Phoebe had come here. After the long week of arguing and getting nowhere, of feeling every emotion under the rainbow and in as many shades, she had needed time to sort her own emotions out, to calm her brain, and settle down so she could think clearly for the inevitable battle to come.  
And this room was the perfect place to calm down. With no one else inside, her empath power was rendered silent, and her feelings were hers alone again. She sat in the back of the room, cross-legged on a pillow, eyes closed, breathing softly. She opened herself to the room, picturing in her mind the subdued lights overhead, the water gently trickling in the fountains. She felt the fluffy pillow beneath her, the velvety softness of the alcove curtains around her. The calm atmosphere seeped into her every muscle, letting her relax more completely.  
As she sat, something else came to her. It was something she'd learned about the room. Though it could keep out outside influences, the psychic residue of those who entered remained. Usually one of the teachers was assigned to clean the residue with a small ritual every few days or so, but more often than not, it went weeks without cleansing. Normally it wouldn't matter, for only those with extremely powerful gifts could sense it. It rarely bothered the students. But Phoebe was a Charmed One, and the residue penetrated her subconscious.  
In the times she'd come here, she'd learned to block it. Since there were no real people involved, it was easy. But something this time nagged at the back of her mind, a feeling of uneasiness settled around her. She could pick out some of those who'd been in the room recently. There was a student from ninth grade potions, one from fifth grade meditation. Two teachers had been in here recently. And Elenia... As the name came to her mind, she was struck by a premonition.  
_A large cave filled her vision. Alcoves around the perimeter, large stone pillars in the center holding up the ceiling far above. And there were many, many Ashon, adult and child alike, some painted with ceremonial tattoos, all looking like they'd been interrupted in the middle of something. And there, standing near what had to be the entrance, was Elenia. Pain and hatred clear on her face. The disgust she felt for them plainly evident. She lifted up her hands then, and started shooting lightning from her finger tips. The Ashon started yelling and screaming. Parents grabbing their children and pulling them to safety. But not all the Ashon got away, many stood their ground, sending fireballs at her, falling to her attack as she dodged most of theirs. Then one Ashon came out of the crowd and faced her. Something about him, the way he stood, the way he looked, sent a fury through her. All the rest seemed to disappear from her sight, and she concentrated her attack on that one Ashon. The lightning seared into his bare, painted chest, words locked in his throat. He never fought back, never even tried to attack her, to defend himself. Then it was over. The Ashon hit the ground, dead. And before her stunned eyes, he changed. The Ashon was no longer an Ashon... He was Steve...  
_Phoebe sat bolt upright, eyes wide with horror. She knew then that time was running out. Whatever they were going to do, they had to do it fast, or Steve would pay the ultimate price. So she got up quickly and ran back to the library.

& & & & &

_In the future..._  
Wyatt and Julia were sitting on the divan by the window, his arm around her shoulders, when Michael and Angela entered. Julia's father eyed the two suspiciously, while her mother looked worried. Wyatt got up, keeping his hand on her shoulder, and took a deep breath.  
"Michael, Angela, you might want to sit down," he said, motioning to the bed. Chris came in behind them, closing the door. The suspicion in Michael eyes just grew when he heard this, his body stiffening.  
"I'll stand, thanks," he said roughly. Angela moved to the bed and sat, her worry intensifying. Chris stayed by the door, arms casually crossed over his chest.  
"So what's this about?" Angela asked, fearing the answer. Julia smiled sadly at her mother. She knew she'd take it hard, but that she would accept it first. She just had to get her through the next few minutes. Then she glanced up at her father, and knew he was going to kill her.  
"Mom, Dad, I know you don't approve of Wyatt and me, and I know it's mostly because of the demons..." Julia started slowly, fearing her father's reaction.  
"You didn't bring us here to talk to us about your relationship. So get to the point," Michael interrupted her.  
"Michael..." Chris warned, reminding him of his favor. Michael looked at Chris annoyed. Wyatt took a deep breath, before continuing where Julia left off.  
"Do you remember what you asked us, when we first announced we wanna get married?" He didn't look at Michael, he couldn't bring himself to, but he did look at Angela. Shock pulled at her features as the memory surfaced. Michael's face turned red with anger.  
"You lied to us?!" Michael exclaimed, livid. Chris advanced from his position, to make sure his friend didn't do anything stupid.  
"No! We didn't!" Wyatt said defensively, but Michael wasn't listening.  
"All this time!" he said, now advancing toward the young couple.  
"No! We just found out!" Wyatt moved in front of Julia protectively.  
"Wyatt Matthew Halliwell! I'm going to kill you!" Michael said, then lunged at Wyatt. Julia and Angela were on their feet in seconds screaming for him to stop, and Chris was already on Michael, pulling him away from a horrified Wyatt.

& & & & &

_Meanwhile in our time..._  
Tevaal was glad he had his brother and almost-sister by his side. He couldn't wish for a better family to care for him. After he had told them about his dream and his memories, and after they had told him that he had transformed for a moment, he was in shock. He didn't know what to think anymore. All things were just crushing down on him so fast that he didn't know where to start with trying to understand it all. But both, Batim and Meehan, calmed him, and reassured him that all things would solve on their own in their own time. He just needed a little more patience.  
And Batim again and again told him that there is a chance that Nicki would still love him, that he doubted she would feel anything else for him than love. And through Tevaal still didn't believe in that, his brother's words gave him hope. And yes, he would take it slow, take one step after the other. And the next step on his list was to finish with those potions, to get his mind freed of this, to gain room for other thoughts.  
"Koran-Dil?" he asked when he approached the clan's leader.  
The old Ashon turned around to him and smiled: "Tevaal, what can I do for you?"  
"I... I wanted to ask if I could get the last potion, now..."  
The old Ashon looked at him, his eyes narrowed. "Now?" he asked then.  
Tevaal nodded. "Yeah... I figured I have much more to deal with then just that. I still can't remember much about my life so far and somehow I feel I can't move on to discover my past before I have finished my growing-up-ceremonies... it's just that I wanna know who I really am. And I hope after I'm done with the last potion I'm able to relax enough to remember."  
Koran-Dil nodded at this. "I see," he said with understanding. "If you really wish to do it now, then get ready. I'll make sure everything is prepared as soon as possible."  
Tevaal smiled grateful at the old Ashon: "Thanks."

* * *

_(Chapter 8 written by Chrissy.W.x and Kirianna Ledräen)_

* * *

_**Note: Our reviewers had the choice (since they were the only ones of our readers who we knew how to reach in a short time, so if you want to be included next time you should review as well...) how we should deal with the lack of time we have at the moment. And the decision is that we will keep uploading our chapters every three weeks. It's just a few days more for you to wait but for us so much needed time to continue this story... So we hope you all understand and are not too mad at us... Thanks for your patience. **_


	9. Chapter 9

**A Charmed Story - Fourteen:  
Ashon: Re-Evolution (Freaky Friday 2)  
Chapter 9**

Silas was almost happy when he materialized on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. Something about the familiar surroundings was comforting. Especially in light of Elenia's hatred. But it wasn't just hatred he sensed in her. There was pain there as well. Lots of pain. Steve was all she had, and it hurt her to think of him in pain. And it terrified her to think she might lose him. But as he had heard quoted by students many times, "fear is the path to the Dark Side", or something like that. And even if that was from the Star Wars movies, it still, strangely, applied in their crazy magical world. And he was afraid they'd lose Elenia to those dark feelings.  
She was ready this time when he appeared, fire in her eyes. He could tell there would be no reasoning with her this time.  
"Unless you're here to help, I suggest you leave before I do something you'll regret," she threatened. Elenia was done being nice. She'd been arguing for a week with the most powerful witches on the planet, trying to get them to see things her way, to no avail. And she was tired of everyone turning against her. Even Tom and Veronica, who'd been on her side the entire time, had turned on her. And to think, it was a mortal who had made them change their minds... But now she had her son to save, and she wasn't going to let anything, or anyone, get in her way.  
"Elenia, I want to help you, just not in the way you want me to. Please come back with me!" he pleaded, knowing before the words came out that she wouldn't. And he was right.  
"You should have let me be," she said, than raised her hand and let loose a string of lightning, before orbing away. Silas had to jump quickly out of the way so he wouldn't get hit. He had a feeling she hadn't been trying to hit him anyway, but her distraction worked. Now sitting on the bridge, he reached out again, trying to sense where she had gone. Five minutes had gone by and nothing. He opened his eyes, realization hitting him. The only reason he couldn't sense her anymore was that she'd gone to the Underworld. He knew then that they had to get to Steve before she did something she'd regret. Getting up to his feet, he took a deep breath, than orbed back to the library, hoping the others were back.

& & & & &

Christopher entered the library on fast pace, but stopped right on the spot when he found it empty. Turning around he faced those, who had been following him, and asked: "Where the hell is everyone?"  
Odin stepped forward: "Well Phoebe is in the meditating chamber, Nicki, Veronica and Tom wanted to get something to eat, Paige is at the manor and Silas went after Elenia."  
Christopher sighed at this. Elenia... She would be a problem, he knew that. He always wondered why the relationship between her and her son was so rocky in his time. Now he knew. But right now he had to focus on Steve himself, and something in his guts told him that the clock was ticking. He already had a plan formed in his mind...  
But before he could explain anything, the air shifted a little, shortly followed by orb lights, and Julian and John appeared.  
"Hey there..." the whitelighter greeted those around them.  
"Oh," Odin said raising an eyebrow, "I see you found a new friend."  
"Actually we are here because we have some new information for you," Julian said.  
And John added: "The Ashon treat him well, actually helping him, and..."  
Christopher turned to Julian, not listening to John's words: "It's good that you are here, because I need your help. I mean, you already can turn others invisible as well, can you?"  
"If I touch them, yes..."  
The witch-Elder smiled at this: "Good..."  
"Hello? Anybody listening to me?" John asked a little unnerved. Their information was important...  
"Ok, ok..." Piper called out, stepping forward, looking at her son, "would you be so kind to enlighten us what's going on in that brain of yours?"  
"No time, mom... I have a feeling that something is going on and that we should hurry I..." He couldn't finish his sentence because he was suddenly thrown into a premonition.  
_He saw himself, sword in hand - a fight - Steve and Elenia fighting each other - lots of dead bodies.  
_"Christopher...? Can you hear me?" the voice of his mother brought him back to reality. She was standing by his side now, an arm placed around his waist. "Are you ok?"  
He nodded, shaking off the after effects of the premonition. He hated this, he really did. He hadn't one in ages, since he turned 18 to be exact. Chris had told him it was because of the stress. Now he wondered why it came back to him right now. But then he remembered what he saw and knew he should think about this later. Now he had more pressuring things to take care of.  
"We really have to hurry, or things will get out of hand," he then said, looking at everyone in turn.  
"But..." Leo wanted to object, wanted first to make sure that his son was alright. And he had to admit that it was a little disturbing to see his son having a vision like that. He knew about it, of course, Christopher had told them the last time he was in the past, but still... seeing it was different.  
"He's right!" another voice came from the entrance of the library, effectively interrupting the Elder.  
"Phoebe?" Cole said surprised and went over to hug his wife who looked pale like a ghost.  
"I saw it... Elenia, she'll freak out and kill every Ashon she can find, including Steve..." the Empath sobbed against her husband's chest. All this was too much for her right now. She had wanted to relax when she went to the meditation chamber. But then this premonition, and now she was back in a room full of worry and fear... it was too much for her. And so she finally closed her eyes and let the darkness engulf her.  
"Phoebe!" Cole exclaimed when he felt her breaking down in his arms. He carried her over to the sofa and laid her down. Leo was immediately by her side, checking on her. "She's ok... only exhausted," he announced moments later.  
Christopher by then had recovered enough again to finally DO something. And he knew there was no time to waste. "John," he said to the whitelighter, "go and get Nicki." The man nodded and orbed away. Christopher then turned to Julian again: "I need to talk to B."  
The demonic witch nodded. "I'm sure he likes to talk to you as well..."  
Christopher then turned to the others. Who should he take with him? His first thought went to Michael but then thought about his brothers and how they would get mad at him for putting the man's life in danger. So he was out of it. But he needed someone he could trust, someone Steve would trust, too.  
"Ok," he finally said, "Uncle Cole, Odin, you're coming with us. And we need some crystals to trap an Elder."  
"We don't have such crystals," Leo said frowning.  
""Maybe we could charm some," Piper thought out loud.  
"Oh... no that will take too long," Chris said. In his time, they had such crystals. He sighed. "I'm sure we can do this without them."  
"I'm also coming with you," Michael said.  
"No... you won't. It's too dangerous. Go back to the manor, you all should go back there and wait for our return," the witch-Elder said. And Piper couldn't help to feel proud of him, as his voice now was not the one of a boy, but strong and powerful, the voice of a leader.  
Right then John orbed in with Nicki. "What's going on?" she asked.  
Christopher grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes: "Do you love him, Nicki? No matter what?" And when she nodded he asked: "Also if he is standing right in front if you in his demonic shape?"  
Nicki looked at him for a moment, then she nodded and replied firmly: "I do..."  
Christopher smiled at this and said: "Then you'll be of great help."  
Right then Silas orbed in. "I lost her," he exclaimed, "she went to the underworld..."  
Everybody knew who he meant, and everyone was frozen for a moment, by this turn of events. Actually most of them had thought they still had some time left... But as things were, they hadn't.  
"Ok, then let's go..." Christopher said and grabbed Nicki's hand, while Cole and Odin stepped to Julian's side. "Bianca? Come with us as well. If Elenia shows up too early you could help us holding her back." The Phoenix just nodded at this and went over to him.  
"What about us?" John then asked. "I'm not going to stay behind."  
"Yeah we won't let you do this alone..." Piper complained as well.  
"You have to," Christopher replied, "the less people that are with me, the better are the chances to get this solved without anybody getting hurt... Trust me, this is for the best." The last words were directed at his mom. Then he turned to John again: "Tell them what you know..." Then he orbed with Nicki away, the others following him.  
"What's going on?" Tom asked out of breath. He and Veronica had just entered the library as the last orb lights faded away.

& & & & &

Belthazor looked up startled when the five people appeared in front of him. "What's going on, what the hell are you thinking?!" he exclaimed angry.  
"Calm down, B.," Julian said as he walked over to his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
But the source had none of that: "This is not a common meeting room or something. This..."  
"We know," Christopher interrupted him, his voice calm but still screaming of urgency. "We need your help. We need you to take us to the Ashon."  
"NO!" Belthazor replied a little too loud, so that Nicki jumped a little. She still feared the Source even if she knew that the others trusted him, she just couldn't help it. And also Odin looked a little uncomfortable. But Balthazar went on: "I can't interfere and you DO know that!"  
Christopher shook his head at this: "I'm not asking you to do anything like that. I only ask you to bring us there."  
"No... I told you I have no right to..."  
But the witch-Elder interrupted him again, this time with a more firm voice: "I, Christopher Perry Halliwell, heir of Excalibur, ask you to bring us as diplomatic delegates to the head of the Ashon Clan that Steve belongs to right now. "  
For a moment no one said a word, and the tension in the room was so thick that you could almost touch it with your fingers. Then the Source nodded and took a slight bow. "As you wish, my king." Christopher smiled at this, the situation was just too weird.  
Then after a moment of silence the source added: "And his name is Tevaal now, by the way..."  
Christopher nodded at this, being the only one who already knew that from his time, and then said: "Ok, here's the plan..."

& & & & &

_In the future..._  
Orbs appeared in the foyer, marking Leo and Hope's arrival home. But it wasn't the best homecoming they'd ever had, since they both heard, clearly, Michael threatening to kill Wyatt. Everyone in the kitchen came running at the outburst, wondering what was going on.  
"What the Hell is going on here?" Leo asked no one in particular.  
Phoebe answered him first. "Wyatt and Julia are talking with Michael and Angela. We don't know what about."  
"We can't just stand here! Michael threatened to kill Wyatt!" Piper said nervously, knowing Wyatt wouldn't defend himself against Michael unless he absolutely had no other choice.  
"Actually, it's better that you all go back to the kitchen." That was Bianca, coming back downstairs with Liam. Piper looked at her incredulously.  
"Are you saying I should just let Michael attack my son?"  
"No. You and Leo should go in there. You need to hear what Wyatt and Julia have to say. The rest of us should go into the kitchen, and wait." She looked at everyone assembled in the foyer in turn, landing on Chris last.  
"Why? What do you know?" Piper pressed.  
"Just that whatever is going on in there, Wyatt needs his parents," she said calmly. Piper was still suspicious.  
"How do you know that?" Leo asked this time, looking at Bianca as suspiciously as Piper.  
"Because I know my husband. Whatever is going on, the two of you should hear it before the rest of us."  
"But Michael and Angela have to hear it before us?" Piper said skeptically.  
"Yes. Wyatt knows how to handle your reactions. Michael's on the other hand..." she trailed off, looking at the bedroom door. They could still hear the yelling coming from inside.  
"Well, what are you waiting for? Them to yell whatever it is? And get me in trouble with future consequences?" Chris said, and started to back toward the kitchen. Bianca smiled at him, knowing it was already too late for that. Piper and Leo exchanged looks, then looked at everyone else. Piper's gaze landed on Phoebe, and she could see her little sister was nervous.  
"You better get in there. I don't think Chris will be able to hold Michael back for much longer without using magic," the middle sister said, feeling Michael's turmoil. Kyle and Cole took their wives hands and started to lead them back to the kitchen then, while Hope nudged Jim in that direction. Bianca followed behind, waiting just long enough for Piper and Leo to take a deep breath and open the door.

& & & & &

_Back in our time...  
_Everyone turned to Tom and Veronica as they joined the group, out of breath and out of the loop. "Well? What happened?" Veronica seconded Tom's sentiments.  
That was when Phoebe groaned and slowly opened her eyes. She still was flooded by lots of emotions but she pulled herself up anyway, noticing that some of the people she'd seen earlier were now missing, including her husband.  
"Easy," Leo told her, worried.  
But she just waved him off. "I'm fine..."  
"Well, John, let's have it," Piper said turning to the Whitelighter then, and everyone turned with her.  
"I don't know if my information will help us any, at this point..." John said, a little unnerved by the sudden attention.  
"If it just lets us understand more clearly what's going on, then it will help," Leo said, ever the optimist.  
John took a deep breath, and started to explain what he and Julian had found out earlier. When he was done, everyone was quiet for a moment, letting it all sink in.  
"So what does that mean?" Tom asked, not completely sure what a genetic-memory-transfer-potion was.  
"It means the Ashon are giving Steve what he needs to take full control of his demonic powers, maybe he even will gain some general knowledge. But I don't know the specifics. Odin could explain it better," Silas explained.  
Another moment of silence passed as everyone thought about it.  
"So I guess he will be comfortable with his demonic side after all, then?" Tom asked, though he already knew the answer. The relief that flooded through him, shocking him.  
"Yes, most likely he will," Silas confirmed.  
Tom and Veronica exchanged a look, both feeling foolish for having thought Steve would never accept it.  
Piper meanwhile shook her head: "I can't believe you knew where to find him all the time..."  
"Sorry..." John answered with a sigh, "I just did what I thought was the best for my charge."  
After yet another moment of silence, Silas spoke again. "Maybe we should go," he said, nodding toward the two whitelighters.  
Rafael said nothing, still feeling uncomfortable and out of place here.  
John shook his head. "I want to stay. I want to know what happens with my charge," he protested.  
Silas shook his head this time. "There's no point in waiting down here. Leo will call us when there are news," and turning to Leo and the others, said, "you should probably go back to the manor. It will be more comfortable then staying in this old place."  
They all nodded, but John still wasn't sure about leaving.  
"It's okay, John, you'll know anything the second we do," Leo said, reassuring him.  
"Okay. The second you hear anything!" he said, then looked at Silas and Rafael, and the three orbed away.  
Everyone else looked at each other, not quite sure if they should wait a little or go right now. "Well, ah, I guess we should go..." Tom started, nervously, looking at Veronica. He didn't want to impose on the Halliwells. Veronica nodded, and they turned to leave.  
But Piper stopped them. "Come back with us. You two shouldn't be alone. And it will be easier to notify everyone if everyone is in the same place," she said, trying to make light of the situation. It didn't really work. Her own nervousness about Christopher, was seeping into her voice.  
"We have lots of room, and you're both welcome," Leo added, putting his arm around Piper's shoulders, comforting her. Tom and Veronica exchanged looks, both not really wanting to be alone.  
"Thank you. We really appreciate it," Veronica accepted for them.  
Piper and Leo smiled at the young couple, then turned to Michael. "You ready?" Leo asked. He didn't have to ask twice.  
"Whenever you are," Michael answered.  
"Then let's go! Take me back to the manor," Phoebe said, sitting up and holding her arms out to Piper. Piper walked over to her and took her sisters hands, pulling her to her feet. Then with Michael in the lead, Tom and Veronica right behind, and Piper, Phoebe and Leo taking up the rear, they all headed for the door back to the manor.

& & & & &

_In the future...  
_Inside Phoebe's and Cole's bedroom, Chris was holding on to Michael, trying to keep him away from Wyatt. Angela and Julia had placed themselves between the two, an added barrier of protection. All of a sudden, Michael went completely still. He was frozen in place, frozen in time. Everyone looked first at Chris, who couldn't possibly have done it with his hands busy holding his friend, then, at the sound of a throat clearing, they all looked toward the door. Piper's hands were still in the air, when they turned to her and Leo. Chris let go of Michael and turned to his mother. She wasn't happy.  
"This had better be good," she scowled at everyone in the room, but especially at Chris.  
"Could you unfreeze him now? Please?" Chris asked, nodding toward Michael.  
"What? And let him kill my son? Your brother? No way," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.  
"I have to agree with Mom. I'm rather fond of my life," Wyatt said, trying to make light of the situation. Julia looked at him, stunned, for a second. He gave her a sheepish grin.  
"Alright, you, what the Hell is going on here? What did you tell Michael that's made him want to kill you?" Piper demanded coming closer to the others. Leo quickly closed the door, then joined his wife. Wyatt turned to his dad then.  
"Ah, Dad, could you hold Mom's arms at her sides, please?" he said, nervously. Piper eyed him, not pleased with what he said.  
"I think, maybe, Mom should, at least, unfreeze Michael's head..." Chris said before Leo could take hold of Piper's arms. This time everyone agreed. Piper lifted her hand and unfroze Michael's head.  
"...Dead! You... What? What's going on? Why can't I move?" Michael said, trying to struggle, to no avail.  
"Hi. Yeah." Piper said, getting his attention.  
Then realization dawned on him. He looked rather pissed that he'd been frozen. "Piper let me go!" he yelled angrily at her.  
"And let you kill my son. I don't think so," she shot back. They traded angry stares for a second.  
"Do you even know what your son did?" Michael challenged. Piper raised an eyebrow in distrust.  
"Dad!" Wyatt yelled, a little too loudly, startling Leo into grabbing Piper's arms too quickly and too strongly. Piper jumped, and tried to bat her husband's hands away, to no use.  
"Okay, enough, skirting around the subject. What the hell is going on?" Piper said, finally having had enough, and still struggling against Leo's grip. He loosened it a little, not wanting to hurt her.  
Wyatt took a deep breath, wrapped his arm around Julia's shoulders protectively, then spoke. "Julia and I are having a baby."  
The whole room went silent as the words were said for the first time. Angela sat down hard on the bed, part of her had still been hoping that wasn't the case. They hadn't actually said that Julia was pregnant, just insinuated it by reminding them that they'd asked that when they'd heard she and Wyatt were engaged. Now that the words were said, it felt like her whole world was upside down. 'My baby is having a baby,' she thought, shock on her face. Michael looked like he was about to attack Wyatt again, but Chris silenced him with a look. Leo was so shocked, he let go of Piper's arms, and stared gape-mouthed at the couple. It took longer for it to sink in for Piper, but once it did, her hands came up, and a lamp exploded, startling everyone. Leo had her arms by her sides again in seconds.  
"Mom!" Wyatt exclaimed, wide eyed and horrified, looking at his mother.  
"Piper, breathe," Leo said calmly, trying to calm her down. She looked between her son and his fiancée, not sure what to think. She moved her hand at her side then, and the time freeze around Michael wore off. He released a sigh, but continued to glare at Wyatt.  
"How? How could this happen? I taught you to be safe!" she said, looking at her son, perplexed. Wyatt bowed his head in shame, feeling like he'd let his mother down.  
"It was an accident. We didn't mean for this to happen," Julia spoke up, feeling badly for Wyatt. She'd hoped his parents would take this better than hers.  
"It's okay. These things happen. Chris and Prisca are perfect examples," Leo said, trying to be the voice of reason, as always. Chris looked at his dad, making a face.  
"Thanks, Dad. It's so nice to be wanted," he said, half joking. That seemed to lighten the mood in the room a little.  
"That's not what I meant! And as I recall, Liam was an accident, too. A very unexpected, but welcome, accident. Just like you and Prisca," he said in his own defense. A smile tugged at Chris's lips.  
"I thought Chris was expected? Since he was in the past at the time..." Wyatt said, glad for the little distracting trip down memory lane.  
"He was. And that's why it was so unexpected. Piper wasn't even pregnant when we found out he was our son," Leo explained, a smile pulling at his lips.  
Piper's expression changed then, the memory triggering other emotions. "Wyatt, honey..." she started, waiting for him to look her in the eyes.  
"Yes, Mom?" he said almost shyly, finally meeting her gaze.  
"Congratulations." The sincerity in her voice made Wyatt let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Leo let go of her then, knowing the danger was passed. And as soon as she was free, she walked to her son and gave him a hug. But Michael wasn't having any of it. He knew this sealed the deal between Wyatt and Julia, and he'd never get them apart again. He just couldn't lose his only daughter to demons.  
"Congratulations?" he began, incredulously. "Are you out of your mind? Do you have any idea how many demons will be after them now? He's the Twice-Blessed!"  
"Michael, Wyatt isn't the first second generation Charmed One to have kids. I have six, remember? And I'm the heir to Excalibur," Chris said pointedly. Michael turned on him then.  
"How much did you know? Did you know about this from the start?" he accused, knowing the younger Chris was in the other room.  
"I just found out today, like everyone else," he lied.  
Michael wasn't bitting. "Oh, yeah? When you say you, do you mean the you in the other room, too?"  
"No. I mean me, in this room. The other can't know. Future consequences, remember," he continued, not letting on what he'd known all along. Wyatt and Julia kept quiet, going along with his lie.  
"You better be telling me the truth!" Michael challenged.  
"I'm your oldest friend. Why would I lie to you?" Chris challenged in return. The two faced each other down, Michael trying to figure out if Chris was telling the truth.  
Angela got up then, having had enough. "That's enough! You two, stop it!" she cried. She looked at her husband pleadingly. "Our daughter is pregnant. She's having a baby. We can't keep doing this." Angela took Michael face in her hands. "Wyatt loves her. We've both seen it. And she's a grown woman now, who makes her own decisions. And there are worst decisions she could make, then being with Wyatt. We've both known him most of his life. We've watched him grow up into the kind, caring man he is today. And we both know that he and his family," she looked at Piper, Leo, and Chris then, "won't let anything happen to her. No matter what. So pleased, let this go, and just be happy for our little girl."  
Michael, looking into his wife's eyes, saw the pain there. She didn't want her family torn apart because he couldn't accept who his daughter had fallen in love with. He sighed, knowing it was going to take time to get used to this. His baby girl, pregnant, and marrying a man seven years her senior. A man who attracted danger to him like a magnet. He took another deep breath, then let it out slowly. "I'll try. That's all I can promise," he finally said.  
Angela threw her arms around his neck in a hug. "That's all I ask," she said, very relieved. Wyatt and Julia both sighed, relief flooding them. Piper turned to Michael, a smile growing on her face.  
"So, Granddad, what do you say to staying for dinner?" she said, teasingly.  
A smile forced itself onto his face, despite his every effort to stop it. "If you're cooking, then sure, Grandma."  
Smiles sprung up all over the room then, and Piper and Leo headed for the door.  
"Wait!" Chris said just as Leo was about to open it. Everyone turned to him, confused.  
"What?" Leo asked, wondering what was next.  
"Just no one says anything about this until after Chris is gone. Then we can all celebrate," he said, covering his bases.  
"And when will Chris leave?" Michael asked, eyeing his friend.  
"Tonight. Shortly after dinner. And dinner would be the best time to tell him anything you want your younger selves to know," he explained.  
Piper looked almost sad. "He's leaving so soon?" she asked, downcast.  
Chris had to laugh. "Yes, Mom. My younger self will be leaving. But I'll still be here, and Christopher will be back," he told her. The name of her youngest son brought a worried look to her face. She knew she shouldn't be worried, but the memory of what had happened that day so long ago still brought those old feelings back.  
Leo squeezed her shoulders, letting her know he knew how she felt, and that everything was going to be okay. "Come on. Let's go eat," he said in that ever calm voice of his.  
Chris nodded, and then everyone headed out the door, and toward the kitchen and dinner.

& & & & &

_Back in the present...  
_Kyle was back in Cole's office, finishing his paperwork, while Paige, with Victor and Angela, was playing with the kids in the living room, when they heard something on the stairs. Paige got up quickly to take a look, Victor and Angela staying close with the kids. When she rounded the corner, she saw Michael, followed by Tom and Veronica, coming down the stairs from the door to Magic School.  
"They left without me?" Paige complained, thinking they had sent the three to the manor to wait.  
"They left without all of us," Piper grumbled, coming into sight, Phoebe on her arm, and Leo just behind. Paige blinked in shock. She would have thought they would have needed the Power of Three.  
Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, Phoebe let go of Piper and threw her arms around Paige, startling her little half-sister. "Did you just shower? You smell good," Phoebe said, holding her tightly for support.  
"Yeah, I did. Are you alright?" Paige asked her, giving her a funny look.  
"She just needs some rest," Leo said, smiling and trying to stifle a laugh.  
"Ah huh..." Paige said, trying to shake her sister off, to no avail.  
As soon as they heard friendly voices, Victor and Angela, with the kids, had come into view. Seeing Angela, Michael went to her and wrapped her in his arms, little Hope between them. And once free of Phoebe, Piper had picked up Wyatt and took Christopher from Victor, holding them tight.  
Watching Piper, Victor's mind started to race. The way she held Christopher, made him wonder if anything had happened. "Is something wrong?" he asked, looking at her.  
"No, nothing's wrong. Piper is just worried about her son, as always," Leo said coming up behind Piper and taking her and the boys in his arms. Victor let out a sigh of relief, then looked at all the faces in the room. Tom and Veronica looked the most out of place. Victor walked over to them, wrapping an arm around each, and started to lead them toward the kitchen.  
"Come on you two. You can help me get some coffee, tea and snacks for everyone," he said, a mischievous smile on his face. Tom immediately responded with a like smile, and Veronica pulled in a breath, knowing what was coming. A large smile spread across her face then, as they headed into the kitchen, and she knew she and Tom were where they should be.

& & & & &

Meehan had just finished preparing Tevaal for the final potion. She had taken special care of the paintings on his body this time, because after he drank that one last bit of liquid he'd be a fully grown up Ashon. And no matter how hard it'll be for him, he had told her he wanted to celebrate as soon as he felt ready for it again. It was tradition and he didn't want to break with that.  
Batim through was still worried. He didn't like to see his brother being hurt, even if this had to be done. So he was currently nervously pacing in front of Tevaal's alcove.  
"Would you please stop!" the younger of the brothers suddenly exclaimed. "You are making me nervous!"  
Batim shook his head and smiled: "I'm just worried..."  
"I know," Tevaal replied, "but there is no need to. I drink the potion, have a little headache and then all will be fine and we'll have a big party!"  
"I'm glad you take this so easy," the older one replied sarcastically.  
"Well what should he do, Batim?" Meehan asked. "Cry like a baby? He's Ashon after all, and he is as strong as you. You should be proud of him!"  
"I am," Batim reassured them both, "more than you can imagine."  
Meanwhile the oldest clan members were preparing everything for the ceremony in the middle of the cave. They all had been a little surprised, when Tevaal had told them that he wanted to take the last potion as soon as possible, because this was actually planed for the day after. But they all knew how much he wanted this to be over so all agreed.  
But suddenly tension filled the cave. You could feel it in the air long before that huge red demon entered the cave with huge steps, his appearance screaming power.  
Koran-Dil frowned when he saw the Source enter, knowing that none of the things going on in this cave were any of his business. Still he was the ruler of the underworld and he had to pay him respect. So he stepped forward until he stood face to face with Belthazor and took a quick bow. Then when he looked up to him again, he asked: "My Lord, what leads your way to our home. Because we actually are preparing for a ceremony."  
"I'm sorry to disturbed you..." Belthazor said before he could help it. And as he saw the leader of the Ashon frown he grumbled with himself because of this stupidity. Then he added: "I was asked to escort a visitor... a diplomatic one." And again he grumbled more than anything else.  
Luckily for the source, Koran-Dil interpreted the grumbling as dislike of the source's own situation, and he guessed that he most likely wasn't there on his own free will. Little did he know how wrong he was with that.  
Anyway, there was still the question who that diplomat would be, so he asked: "So who is that visitor?"  
"ME!"  
All of the Ashon turned their eyes to the entrance of the cave. There stood three people. The one that stood most to the right was no doubt an Elder, judge by his dress. On the left side stood someone they all knew, the former other half of the Source. But the most impressing person stood in the middle of the two. And he also was the one who had spoken. He was a young man, a witch as it seemed, casually dressed in jeans and t-shirt, but everything about him screamed authority. And as the Ashons watched him, he walked closer to their leader, his two follower right behind him.  
No one saw that right behind that little group, followed three more people, hidden by the power of invisibility.  
When the leader of the little group reached the head of the Ashon he took a little bow and greeted: "Koran-Dil? I'm thankful for your hospitality."  
'Good manners, he has. And he knows my name,' the leader of the Ashon Clan thought. But still that man unnerved him a little so he asked: "Who are you?"  
The man smiled at this, through inside he was far less sure of himself then he let the other see. "My name is Christopher Perry Halliwell. And I'm here for two things. First there might be danger on its way, and if possible we'd like to help you handle it in a peaceful way. And then we'd like to talk about and even with Tevaal, if possible."  
"You wanna take him with you, right?" Koran-Dil said, noticing from the corner of his eyes how said Ashon stepped closer a little, but was held back by his brother.  
The young witch-Elder had noticed this, too. And he was glad his friend was seemingly well. But right now he had to concentrate on his task. He had only one chance and he planed to make the best out of it. So he replied with a calm voice. "No... Actually I just came here to talk to him. It's not my place to decide for him where he wants to live. I just want to talk to him, send him greetings from his loved ones. And I give you my word that no one of us will hurt anyone of your people. Nor won't you hurt mine..."  
The Ashon laughed at this: "You are good with words. But through you somehow got the Source to help you, I still don't trust you, witch. You are all the same, for you we're just demons you can hunt. Your word means nothing to us."  
Christopher knew this would happen, and through he didn't like it he knew now was the time, his time, to accept who he was and to use the power that was given to him. "Excalibur!" he exclaimed, holding out his hand. And only a blink of an eye later a white light appeared around it and formed to the legendary sword. As it had completely solidified, Christopher moved it through the air in a circle to ram it into the stony floor of the cave. A murmur filled the cave. Then he again looked at the Ashon in front of him. "Koran-Dil, I give you my word as heir of Camelot, that we are just here to talk."  
The leader of the Ashon let his eyes wander between the young man and the sword a couple of times. He had heard rumors that the legendary sign of power was back on the surface, and that the new owner of it was meant to bring balance to all of them, demons AND humans. So far he had not believed those stories, but now he saw things in a different light. And now he understood why the Source couldn't resist this boy as well, and brought him to them. He himself could feel the power that the sword was radiating. So finally he took a deep bow and said: "I believe you."

* * *

_(Chapter 9 written by Chrissy.W.x and Kirianna Ledräen)_


	10. Chapter 10

**A Charmed Story - Fourteen:  
Ashon: Re-Evolution (Freaky Friday 2)  
Chapter 10**

Julian felt relieved when he saw that Christopher's plan seemed to work and the Ashon bowed before him. He was standing about ten feet behind him, Bianca and Nicki grabbed by the elbow to keep them all invisible until Christopher said it was save for them to appear. But from what things were looking like, that wouldn't take much longer.  
He hadn't thought that Christopher had it in him to appear this collected and calm and "royal", but he did. Right from the moment they had entered the cave he had the feeling that the young man in front of him was a different one. As if he had moved on from kid to respected adult within seconds. And right now, as Koran-Dil bowed before Christopher, he was sure their plan would work out just fine... At least as long as Elenia wouldn't find them.  
Bianca was deeply impressed by Christopher. Right now he acted nothing like he did the last week, nor like the last time he had been in the past. He also was not like Chris... And she wondered how it would be when her husband finally uses the sword in this way. Somehow she imagined that Chris would look damn hot as king. But then she banned this thought out of her mind, because she wasn't down there in that cave because of a sightseeing trip. She was on a mission, she was there to protect the Ashon from Elenia, in case she would show up. So she let her eyes wander around the cave to check for anything unusual that could indicate that they weren't alone anymore. But so far everything was clear.  
Nicki was looking around, too. Her eyes were searching for the one she loved so much. And when Christopher mentioned that name, Tevaal... 'How beautiful that sounds,' she thought. When he mentioned that name, she noticed that one of them made a step forward but was stopped by two others. Nicki's eyes were instantly glued to that Ashon. His eyes... His eyes were shining red, but still they had the same shape. And she also recognized his jeans, and... She also noticed the ring on his finger. He was still wearing it.  
She took the time while the others were talking to look at him more closely. He was wearing no shirt, his grey skin was covered by some drawings. Nicki refused to think about what they used to make them. But it had something attracting, since it underlined his fine muscles, muscles the human looking Steve didn't have. But then she moved back to look into his eyes. They were shining as usual, even with this strange color. She could see that he was a little confused and she also saw some other emotions flashing in those red eyes. And she couldn't help wondering if he'd recognize her, if he still loved her... as much as she still loved him.

& & & & &

Christopher eyed the head of the Ashon with mixed feelings. He knew what he had to do, it was his plan after all. After his talk with Vivienne the path in front of him became clear, but... that didn't mean he had to like it or even feel comfortable with the situation. It wasn't visible on the outside - at least he hoped that - but he was nervous, very nervous. One wrong step and he would risk all their future.  
Somehow he was glad that the spell he wrote had sent him to that special moment. Because there was one advantage he had. He knew Koran-Dil. He had met him, even talked to him a couple of times. And he really hoped this would help him now.  
After a moment of silence Christopher finally spoke again: "Well... Thanks for your faith in me. So... let me introduce you to my company. As you see..." At this he gestured to Cole and Odin. "I have two friends with me, who are here to..."  
"You chose your company wisely. A former half-demon and an Elder." Koran-Dil chuckled lightly: "You don't expect me to believe that this is a coincidence, right?"  
"Of course not..." Christopher said with a smile. "But what I wanted to add is that I also have three more friends with me right now, who are invisible."  
"What?" one of the other Ashon exclaimed, stepping closer to them.  
But Koran-Dil stopped him with a gesture, before he said to the new king: "I believe you have your reasons for not showing them to us."  
"Koran-Dil, please believe me that this is not to offend you. As I said I fear danger is nearing this place. And two of my invisible friends are great fighters who are here to ensure that no one of you gets hurt. And by keeping them invisible we can surprise any possible attacker."  
Koran-Dil nodded at this, thoughtful. Then he asked: "Who do you expect to attack us down here?"  
Christopher sighed at this. He wasn't sure if it was the smartest thing to say it but he knew he had to say the truth. "An Elder, named Elenia. She has lost her path because of the fear to lose her son. We tried to make her see reason but unfortunately she wouldn't listen."  
At this the leader of the Ashon looked at the new king with interest and wonder: "You would fight an Elder to protect a clan of demons?"  
Christopher looked at the Ashon, his head raised a little, his face serious to underline his words: "Yes I would."  
Koran-Dil was looking at Christopher intensely, as if his eyes wanted to see into his soul. To say Christopher felt uncomfortable would be understated. But finally the head of the Ashon nodded. "Very well..." Then he turned to a group of Ashons and gestured one of them to come forward. "Tevaal," he said, "this man wants to talk to you. If you want to do so, then do it. It's your decision."  
Tevaal looked at Christopher, who actually smiled at him. Somehow this man seemed familiar to the Ashon but he couldn't place him. Unsure what he should do he looked to Batim and Meehan, who looked as uncertain about this as he himself felt. So finally he asked: "If it's ok, when my family is with me, then I will talk to you."  
Christopher looked to the other Ashons Tevaal had just looked at and smiled. Batim and Meehan, he knew them as well. He knew they always meant a lot to the Steve from his time. So he agreed: "Maybe we should find a place to sit then..." The Ashon agreed to this. Then Christopher turned around to his friends: "Cole, come with us, Odin, you stay here with the rest and watch the cave." Then he turned back to Tevaal and, while pulling the sword out of the stone floor again, said: "Lead the way..."

& & & & &

Nicki watched them leave, wondering who those other Ashons might be. Steve had called them family. Did that mean... Did Steve love that female Ashon? 'No!' Nicki thought shaking her head. 'Don't jump to conclusions,' she told herself, remembering what Christopher had told her earlier, in the Source's cave. _"If you love him, then don't give up. Because I know he still loves you with all his heart..."_ he had said. And Nicki wanted to believe him...  
Odin on the other hand cleared his throat as he turned to the Ashons' leader. "If I'm allowed to make a suggestion..." And as Koran-Dil nodded he went on: "Since there is danger nearing, is there a place you can send your women and children to? A place where they are safe?"  
"Our children are not in danger from your kind. And our women are in much ways even better fighters then our men. But I appreciate your concern for our kind," Koran-Dil replied, his voice politely, as he bowed his head to the Elder who in turn did the same.  
Then Koran-Dil turned to the Source of all Evil, who still stood a little aside from them, still scowling. He smiled and stepped closer to him. "My Lord, I have to admit you impressed me," he said to the huge red demon. Belthazor looked at him puzzled so the Ashon explained. "It needs great courage for a man in your position to accept the new king. I can only imagine how much this situation must disturb you. Still, you manage to keep your calm and do what you have to. You have my deepest respect my Lord." And with this he bowed also to him.  
Belthazor had a hard time not to smile at this. He had never thought that this adventure could actually have a positive outcome for him. But apparently it did.

& & & & &

_In the future...  
_The family dinner had been awkward, to not say horrible. Before they finally began to eat everyone had found out that Chris was about to leave soon after, so almost all the Halliwells and Turners had been sad and pretty calm, especially the younger ones. Kevin was only pushing his food around, for he simply couldn't understand why his cool young dad had to leave. Michael, Angela and his own parents were bothered by other thoughts through. And the older version of Chris seemingly felt pretty bad about lying to his friend, as did his younger version from the past. He so didn't like the outcome of all of this, it simply wasn't right! In his own time Michael was the best friend he had in this new life, and from what he had heard and seen so far in this time it was still the same. And you simply don't lie to your best friend, even if it's for a good reason.  
So when they were done eating and Piper told everyone to go into the living room so that they could start saying goodbye to him, Chris took his grown up daughter by the arm and let her into the hallway and out of view so that he could talk to her quietly. After that, with a smile on his face while Hope was frowning deeply, he went back and helped his older self to clean the table.  
"Chris?" Piper asked, wondering why he wouldn't join them, sure that he didn't want to leave without at least hugging everyone one last time. And as a matter of fact, none of them knew how long they would have left.  
"I'll be there in a second," he said as he took a pile of plates to the kitchen.  
There his older self noticed him with surprise. "Why aren't you in the living room? It isn't long anymore before Christopher will be able to cast the spell to return home, so..."  
"I know, I know..." the younger one said. "Don't worry, Hope is taking care of that..."  
"What...?" the older one of the two asked confused, feeling a headache forming in the back of his brain. "What are you..."  
"No time, as you said... I just need you to answer me a question."  
"Ok..." the older one said warily. He couldn't remember this conversation, and the feeling in the back of his mind was becoming stronger with every second."  
"Just tell me," the younger one then said after taking a deep breath, "will this really work out? Do you know for sure that Michael will come to terms with this at the end, that he won't find out that we lied to him???? Do you know for sure, that they all will be a happy family in the end, as you hope?"  
The older Chris sighed at this, then shook his head: "No, I don't... But so far Michael promised to try and Angela seems to be happy and when Julia moves in here..."  
"What if he finds out we lied? He's our best friend, but... Can you be sure he'd understand?" The younger Chris asked insisting on that point.  
The older one shook his head and replied: "Why do you ask? It always was meant to be like this, it's like it should be and the best thing we could do..."  
The younger of the two just stared at the other for a moment, before he slowly shook his head. "I don't believe that," he then said before heading out of the kitchen.  
His older brother wanted to go after him but right that moment he was hit by a huge headache that felt oh so familiar to him... So he sank down to a chair, holding his head and moaning in pain.  
This is how Phoebe found him, who wanted to get drinks for everyone. "Oh God, Chris, what's wrong?" she asked worried as she knelt down by his side.  
"It's Chris..." he muttered. Phoebe didn't understand first what he meant since she just had passed Chris in the dining room, and he seemed fine to her. But then her nephew went on: "Chris, he's... He's changing our past..."

& & & & &

_In the present..._  
The tunnel was dark and dirty. This was the last place Elenia had ever thought she'd come again. There were too many horrible memories down here.  
_She struggled hopelessly against her attacker, unable to free herself. His strong hands, iron around her wrists, trapping her. She screamed for help, but none came.  
_She shook her head, hoping to erase the memory, but down here, it came screaming back, louder in her ears now than her screams had been back then. She'd thought she'd been brave coming down here. Intent on studying a little more about a rather strange group of demons called the Ashon.  
_From the book she'd found buried deep in the library Up There, she found they had very human-like qualities. They were said to live together in a large den, many families together, like a small underground village. She had thought that absurd for demons. Demons were cruel, evil beings, who worshiped power above all else. That's what her years as an Elder had taught her. But these demons made her curious, and the words in the book she now carried with her, caused her to do something reckless._  
The deep shadows thrown around her by the torches on the walls, did nothing to make her less uneasy. And neither did the far off screams. She knew she had to find the dreaded place from her nightmares. That was the key to finding Steve now. She'd been so close to the den back then, so much so that she'd been sure she'd heard children playing. But all she heard now were screams. She imagined hers had been one of them so long ago.  
_A strange sound reached her ears. It was a sound that had always warmed her heart, and made her wish, for one fleeting moment, that she could break the rules and find someone to love and start a family. It was the sound of children playing. 'What a strange sound to hear,' she'd thought. Children playing in the underworld wasn't something she'd ever thought could happen. But here it was. Unless it was some evil trick meant to lure some unsuspecting witch into a trap. But she was an Elder, so she thought she'd be safe.  
_She tried again to banish the memory, tried to focus on finding Steve. She needed to find Steve. He was all she had, all she'd ever had.  
_There was another strange sound behind her, like fabric rustling in the wind, and then her arms were caught in a vice-like grip. She was turned around roughly, and slammed into the nearby cavern wall, bright red eyes staring into hers. There was something mad in the eyes. Like something terrible was eating at this demon's insides, causing him to go insane. The fear that sank into her core, was a fear like no other. A black hole sucking everything good deep down into nothingness, obliterating it.  
_The black hole returned now, sucking again at everything good in her life. Sucking it into oblivion just like before. Everything she'd ever believed in, everyone she'd ever cared for, slipping away. And then, right before her, was the place where it had happened. She could feel it in her very being. But something wasn't right. There were no Ashon here. No sound of children playing. 'They must have moved since then,' she thought, looking around. There was a wall at the end of the corridor which she was sure had been open back then. Because this was the place he had dragged her to, before... She turned around to look where she'd come from. Now that she was focused again, and her eyes were accustomed to the gloom, she could see another passageway cutting off to the left. Something beyond her guided her feet, and she followed down the path, oblivious to the security cameras tucked into the recesses on either side of the hidden door she just turned away from. Had she just taken one more step. She would have seen it. But like things were, the cave where two well-known beings lived nowadays, stayed unnoticed by her.

& & & & &

The Ashons had lead Christopher and Cole to a kind of sitting area near by. There were some huge stones around an almost died down fireplace where they all sat down. The Ashons, with Tevaal in the middle, on one side; Christopher, who had placed Excalibur on the ground by his feet, and Cole on the other. And for a moment no one said a word.  
Tevaal felt really uncomfortable, he wasn't sure what this man, who as it seemed was a very powerful person, could want from him. Why was this whole situation one of his business? What had he to do with him? Yes, his face seemed familiar, but he couldn't remember that he had ever met him before. And that worried him.  
Meehan was finally the first to speak: "So, if I may ask, what is it you want to talk to Tevaal about?"  
"I just wanted to talk to him to see if he's alright. We... we are friends," Christopher answered honestly. And then turning to Tevaal he asked: "You don't remember that, right?"  
The young Ashon sighed then admitted: "No, I don't..."  
"Yeah I heard of that..." the witch-Elder smiled. "But that's ok... You've been under a lot of pressure lately. We believe your memories will come back with time."  
"Some already have," Tevaal admitted, not really sure why he felt that he could trust this man, but he did.  
"Really?" Cole now asked, speaking for the first time.  
And Christopher who was as surprised as his uncle added: "Do you wanna tell us what you remember?"  
But Tevaal just shook his head: "It's not important... at least not anymore. Things changed so much... too much."  
Hearing this, Christopher frowned, worried what his friend might mean with those words. He knew that he was stepping on very dangerous ground with this talk, one wrong word could destroy the trust he now held, one wrong word could push their friend away from them. And that was something he couldn't let happen. He had promised to bring Steve back, he had promised it to Nicki. He couldn't fail. So he had to choose his words wisely, even if that was really hard for him, since he usually talked before he used his brain... He closed his eyes for a moment collecting himself. Then he said: "It does matter... to me it does."  
"Why?" Tevaal asked back. The question was so simple but held so many questions.  
Through for Christopher the answer was simple. "Because you are my friend, and I care about you. I can see that your memories upset you in a way, and I want to help. So please... Tell me."  
"How can I be your friend?" Tevaal asked instead of answering. "I'm a demon, a dark creature, evil... And you are a force of the light, so how can you care about me?" At those words, Batim had placed an arm around his brother, to give him support, fearing the answer of that human as much as Tevaal did.  
"That's not completely true. I know you for all my life and you never ever were evil. You might be half-demon but you are also half-Elder. You are a great teacher and a loyal friend. I know I can count on you. You are one of the best friends of my older brother Chris, you are one of those rare people who know everything about him. You are caring and kind. In fact I'd trust you with my life. So don't you dare to talk of yourself as evil."  
"But..."  
"No buts... I'm your friend... So why won't you let me help?" Christopher asked, his voice calm, but still leaving no room for arguments.  
Tevaal looked from him to those Ashons by his side. Meehan looked back at him with concern written all over her face, but she nodded. And Batim smiled and said: "I'd give it a try, he seems to be a nice guy."  
Tevaal took a deep breath, then he explained: "I remember that my human name is Steve. And... I remember a woman named Nicki. I remember how I first met her, how we went to school together... I remember falling for her, getting together with her...I remember I asked her to marry me, because she meant the world to me, but..."  
Christopher had smiled when his friend started to explain, but now he frowned: "But what?"  
"She won't love me anymore... I changed, I'm not who I used to be..."  
"WHAT?" Christopher exclaimed, jumping up, startling everyone. "You can't honestly believe that Nicki doesn't love you anymore! Because she does. And she's worries sick right now, because she doesn't know if you are alright!"  
Tevaal just looked at him with mixed and confused emotions. He wasn't sure what to feel. He wasn't sure what to believe. Just one thing was clear in his mind. "But I'm... I'm a demon..."  
A few yards away, Nicki had heard what Christopher had exclaimed, and even if she barely could hear it, she knew what Steve had replied. 'I can't believe that he would think like this...' she thought, through on the other hand she somehow saw the reason in his words. But it hurt her none the less and she needed to do something. So with a quick move she freed her arm out of Julian's grip and immediately turned visible. The other Ashons around watched her surprised as she quickly went over to the group at the died down fireplace.  
"Steven Moody, or Tevaal for that matter!" she exclaimed as she stepped in front of him.  
"Nicki," he whispered and the next second hid his face in his hands muttering something that only Batim and Meehan could understand. "Don't look at me..."  
But Nicki wouldn't listen anyway. Instead she went on: "What do you think of me? Remember what I said to you on Christmas? I told you I don't care that you are half-demon. And just for the record, you always have been! Just because you discovered a new side of yourself, doesn't mean you aren't the same person anymore!"  
Batim and Meehan watched the young witch in wonder. She was good looking and in her eyes they could read that she said the truth. Meehan couldn't help to admire her strength in this tough situation.  
Tevaal on the other hand just kept whispering, through he had heard her words as well: "Please... Don't... don't look at me..."  
Cole sighed deeply, feeling that this wasn't going as planed. But Christopher only smiled as he saw Nicki sigh and step closer to their friend. He knew she was exactly what he needed right now.  
Nicki meanwhile knelt in front of Tevaal and grabbed his hands, pulling them away from his face slowly. He let it happen but still kept his eyes firmly to the ground avoiding eye contact. "Oh honey..." she said calmly and took his face in her hands to make him look at her. And when red eyes met blue ones she whispered: "I promised to marry you... to love you in good and bad times. And I plan to stick to that promise. You are still the man I love and you always will be."  
Tevaal couldn't believe his ears but he saw the true love shining in Nicki's eyes. And then she did something he never thought was possible, not with the way he looked right now...  
She kissed him.  
Everyone around the two watched that in awe... same as most of the others in the cave did from the distance. And they all saw that Tevaal changed back into his human form.  
When the couple parted they smiled at each other lovingly, before the half-demon noticed the change. "What...?" he asked. But as soon as he did realize that he was looking human he changed back to his demon shape. For a moment he closed his eyes, then shook his head whispering: "I'm sorry..."  
"Oh don't worry about that," Cole then said, "with a little bit of training you'll soon be able to control how you look like..."  
"And I love both shapes of you," Nicki said caressing his now again grey cheek.  
Steve smiled at her and pulled her close into his arms. "I love you, too, Nicki. I love you so much..."  
Meehan and Batim smiled at this, the latter saying: "Well, welcome to the family."  
Also Christopher and Cole smiled. They had made it, now everything would be alright...  
... At least it seemed like this until Christopher felt the vibration of the mobile phone in his pocket. It was connected to Julian's computers who were programmed to control the area around the Ashon's cave... And the alarm now could only mean one thing: someone was coming.

& & & & &

Elenia followed down the path, determination flowing through her every nerve. The unfamiliarity of the passage doing little to deter her. She had a mission, and she was going to finish it. Even if it meant the death of every single Ashon in the Underworld.  
Rounding another corner, she came to a dead end. At least that's what it looked like at first glance. As she moved closer, frustration building inside her, she noticed a crack in the wall. It certainly wouldn't have caught her notice if it hadn't been running straight down. She moved closer still, wanting to inspect the concealed doorway, and wondering if this was the right place. But before she could take another step, a sensation flashed in her mind, one that she would know anywhere.  
"Steve!" she half cried, when she recognized her son's essence nearby. She rushed toward the hidden door, knowing for certain now this was the right place. But Steve's sense disappeared almost as fast as it had appeared, causing anger, fear, and hate to take over her entire being. Then she orbed away in a flash of angry lights...  
And for the second time in less than an hour, Elenia failed to notice the security cameras watching over the hidden door. But this time was different... As soon as she crossed the invisible barrier when she rushed the door, a chain reaction was set off. The motion sensors blinked silently, sending a signal back to Julian's computers, which in turn sent a warning signal to Christopher's and Julian's cell phone...

& & & & &

_In the future..._  
Chris went with long powerful steps into the living room, grabbed Michael's arm and pulled him out of the room. Wyatt looked at Julia worried, not sure what this was about. But he didn't dare to do anything, since he knew the older version of his brother had everything under control... Or at least he hoped he had... Also the others in the room where a little puzzled, especially Angela, who had been talking to Piper and now looked at the witch questioning. But the oldest of the Charmed Ones could only shrug, not knowing what was going on herself.  
"Chris what's this about?" Michael asked, when the other let finally go of him.  
The Elder-witch turned around facing his friend, then said: "That's what I wanted to ask you! You are my best friend, at least you are in my time. And I can't stand to see you and me pushed apart like this by whatever happened. So tell me, tell me and I change it! I'm going back to the past in a couple of minutes, that means I could try to change things." And as those words were said, and Michael looked back at him frowning, Chris prayed to the higher powers that he still knew his friend well enough, that he would do the right thing.  
Michael kept looking at Chris for a moment. He had to admit this thought had its advantages. He could stop all this from happening. Maybe if he told Chris, he could even prevent that Wyatt and Julia even fall for each other...

& & & & &

_In the present..._  
Inside the cave, Christopher looked down at his pocket and the vibrating cell inside. He'd hope they'd be able to get this done before any trouble could start, but now that seemed impossible. The only good thing was that they'd gotten a head start. Now all that was left, was to stop Elenia before anyone could get hurt, or worse, killed.  
He turned to his friends then, knowing it was time. "Guys, I really hate to interrupt you right now, but..." before he could finish his warning, orbs appeared nearby and an incensed Elenia took form. Lighting was already forming at her fingertips, ready to attack any Ashon who came close. But she didn't wait for them to attack first. She let loose a volley at the nearest demons, hitting one in the chest, while the others jumped for cover. Christopher, Cole, Nicki, Tevaal, Batim and Meehan all jumped to their feet, shocked, horror covering their faces, as two more Ashon fell to Elenia's powers. In another heartbeat, fireballs started sailing in her direction. She blasted them out of the air with her lighting, forcing her enemies back with the power of her blasts.  
"Elenia!" Christopher cried out, trying to get her attention away from the Ashon. But when she turned to him, the three Ashon by him caught her attention, and she blasted at the little group. Christopher and Cole dived for cover, jumping in one direction, while Batim and Meehan went in the other. Tevaal grabbed hold of Nicki and pulled her to the ground, just inches from getting hit. Elenia then turned back to her bigger problem of the moment.  
Belthazor pulled Koran-Dil out of the line of fire, refusing to engage in the battle, and keeping the Ashon leader safe. Koran-Dil looked on in awe at Elenia's powers, fearing he'd underestimated the powers of an angered Elder. He watched as another Ashon fell to her, but this time not without wounding her first. Though this seemed to only enrage her more.  
By this time Julian had released Bianca, and both were now visible, but Elenia was covering herself too well for them to get close.  
Odin stood nearby, trying to find an opening in her defenses, hoping to stop this before it got any worst. When Christopher had called her name, he had realized the young witch-Elder's mistake. In her current state of mind, it would be more likely she'd attack him. But he had noticed a small moment of distraction as she saw the three Ashon standing with Christopher. So Odin stepped forward now, hoping he could stop this.  
"Elenia!" he called to her, "stop this now!" Elenia again turned to the sound of her name being called, but she wasn't happy when she saw Odin standing near more Ashon.  
"Traitor!" she yelled, before attacking him. He quickly orbed out of the way, taking the Ashon with him.  
Meanwhile, Christopher was pushing himself up to his feet, fear on his face, his confidence gone. He was at a loss now as to what to do, and just stared at the carnage Elenia was leaving behind. Three Ashon dead now, eight wounded. 'Think, damn it! Think!' Christopher thought to himself, in desperate need. He had to stop this, and he had to do it fast...

* * *

_(Chapter 10 written by Chrissy.W.x and Kirianna Ledräen)_


	11. Chapter 11

**A Charmed Story - Fourteen:  
Ashon: Re-Evolution (Freaky Friday 2)  
Chapter 11**

'Think, damn it! Think!' But all Christopher could think about, were the dead Ashon around them.  
Then he felt a hand grab him by the arm, and he turned startled to find Cole by his side. But Cole wasn't looking at him. He followed Cole's eye line, and saw Excalibur lying on the ground where he'd left it. Without further prompting from his uncle, he picked up the sword. As soon as it was back in his hands, he felt its power join with his, and he knew what to do.  
Christopher took two steps forward, raised Excalibur into the air, the light in the cavern glinting off the tip, and yelled. "ELENIA! STOP!" The power in his voice made her falter, and she turned to him.  
Standing tall, sword raised, Christopher looked like a king of old, commanding his troops, or perhaps more accurately, confronting an old friend gone mad.  
Everyone in the cave fell silent, fireballs dissipating. Even Bianca blinked in amazement. The fact that it was Christopher, and not Chris, didn't seem to matter. She knew both could wield the power Christopher was wielding now. But then her mind went back to the problem at hand. And Christopher's actions were enough to stop Elenia long enough for the Phoenix to get close. So she took the Elder by the arms, restraining her.  
"Don't move, or I'll strip your powers," she threatened, pushing her hand into the Elder's back to make her point. Elenia froze in place, anger seething through her even more at being restrained.  
"A Phoenix. A good fighter indeed, young King. You choose your friends wisely," Koran-Dil said as he stepped closer to Christopher, against Belthazor's better judgment, but the latter remained close by. Now the Ashon leader turned to Elenia. "By the simple grace of the wielder of Excalibur, it's the only thing keeping me from striking you down right now." Koran-Dil said as he approached the captive Elder, unafraid. "Now, what business do you have against my clan?" he ordered, glaring at her.  
Elenia glared back, only the hand on her back keeping her from lunging at the Ashon. "You stole my son!" she accused, barely able to refrain herself.  
The Ashon leader looked at her, incredulous. "We do not steal children," he said point blank, affronted by the accusation.  
Elenia's anger increased another level at his haughty tone. "Then why did you take my son in front of my own eyes?" Her question took the Ashon leader a little by surprise, as now all pieces of the puzzle fell into place. He hadn't expected it, and now he wished he'd asked Christopher more about this wayward Elder, and why she'd want to attack his clan.  
But before Koran-Dil could answer her question, Christopher did. "It's not what you think, Elenia. His clan never stole your son. He already is one of them, he always was. All they do is trying to help him," he explained, trying to sooth her. It didn't work.  
"One of them? He was never one of them!" she yelled, and tried to move towards the Ashon, but Bianca wouldn't let her, her hand starting to glow in preparation for a power strip.  
Koran-Dil through understood her now. Elenia was Tevaal's mother. He was the son she was afraid to lose. The Ashon leader turned to Tevaal, who still had no idea what was going on, and knew it wasn't going to be as easy as it had been with Nicki. The shame his clan had felt after the incident, returned, and he hung his head for a moment before turning back to the enraged Elder.  
"You do not understand our kind," he began slowly. "What happened to you so many years ago was a travesty that has haunted us since. It was an act we do not condone. As Elders and demons, we are sworn enemies. And as such, we will meet each other on a magical battlefield if need be. But nothing more." Elenia wanted to say something then, to yell, to scream it, but Bianca's hold on her kept her tongue in her mouth. "Your son was not taken by force. He came willingly, and has stayed willingly. We have given him what he needs to understand our kind. His kind. The part you seem unable to accept. There is little left for him to learn now, and the decision of where he wants to live belongs solely to him." As he finished, Koran-Dil slowly turned to look at Tevaal, and with him, everyone in the cave.

& & & & &

_In the future..._  
Michael kept looking at Chris for a moment longer, still thinking about his friend's offer... But then he sighed. Somehow, as good as that did sound, it didn't feel right. It might be that no one of them would remember that things had been different in another life. But he knew Chris would remember, and he knew he would never forgive him for that. He knew how Chris was with kids, and even if he knew his old friend disliked Wyatt and Julia as couple for the same reasons as he did, he had seen the eyes of his friend. He had seen the joy of having a child around to play with Liam, he had seen the joy of soon having a nephew or niece. And that was the moment when it fully hit him that he would be a grandfather soon, the moment when those words were not only words anymore but began to hold some feeling. Soon there would be another little baby, one who'd call him grandpa. And suddenly his eyes lit up and a smile spread over his face. Then all of a sudden he pulled Chris into a tight hug whispering words of thanks to his ear.  
When they separated Chris looked back at his friend a little puzzled but then he smiled, too, asking: "What has just happened here?"  
Michael smiled widely. Then he said. "Damn the future consequences because I want you to know. I want you to know that I'm the happiest man alive, and that I just needed a while to realize this." A thought had formed in his head now, an idea that would solve all his problems he hoped. "Chris," he said then, grabbing the man by his shoulders, "I'm going to be a grandfather!"  
Now Chris looked startled at the other man. He had said it... Would that mean he had to stop it? But Michael had said he was happy so... "You... You mean Wyatt and Julia???"  
Michael nodded smiling: "Yeah... But, you have to do me a favor."  
"What favor?" Chris asked frowning, while he thought, 'please say the right thing.'  
"Please, when you go back... Talk to me about this... get me used to the thought of them being a couple. I guess... I guess I never thought this could happen, I never thought my daughter could get involved in all this magic stuff... But when I start playing with this in my mind early enough then maybe I'll be able to accept it easier..."  
At this Chris smiled widely: "I promise I will, through you know, I have to be careful, I'm not allowed to tell you too much."  
"I know and I don't mind..." And Michael hugged Chris again muttering: "I'm going to be a grandfather..." Then he pulled away again and looked at Chris with a serious expression. "I have to talk to them..." he said and turned around to head back to the living room.  
Chris followed him with his eyes smiling widely.  
"I can't believe you did that..."  
Startled by those words Chris looked over to the dining room, where his older version was standing in the doorway. "I can't believe you did not do this before..." he said smiling to him.  
"Well, when I was you, I talked to the older me about something like this, too, but he convinced me that messing up an existing timeline is always tricky and can very well go wrong."  
The younger Chris smiled at this: "Did that ever bother us before?"  
The older one chuckled at this. "No it didn't..."  
"Will it work out now?" the younger then asked as he stepped closer.  
"It will..." the older Chris said. And after a moment of thinking, of trying to sort out the mess in his head of the different memories, he added: "You already effectively changed the timeline... Actually Michael will still scream and try to kill Wyatt when they tell them, but he won't mean it that serious anymore... And he will give me a speech for not telling him the whole story sooner." He grimaced as he said the last words.  
The younger Chris patted his shoulder. "Still that's better than him finding out you lied to him..."  
"You don't know if he would have..."  
"Tell me one secret that this family managed to keep..."  
Now the older one had to laugh. His younger version was absolutely right about this. The only secrets that had been kept were those Chris brought with him when he came back from the future. And this only worked because everyone knew what was at stake...  
"Ok, you've won..." he said when they both went over to the living room. Then he asked: "Where is Hope? You said, she..."  
The younger Chris grinned knowingly: "In the past, I guess... buying me some more time..."

& & & & &

_In the present..._  
Tevaal wondered at first why everyone was looking at him. Even Nicki at his side had looked up at him. It unnerved him, to say the least, and his mind started racing. Everything that had happened today, in the last few hours, seemed unreal. First he found out he had a brother, then his memories of his fiancée, Nicki, came back. And now she was there by his side like it should always be. But there was something nagging at the back of his mind ever since this Elder showed up. Something he knew he should know, but couldn't quite place. A familiarity about her, like he should know her. A memory tried to surface, but was blocked by something he couldn't identify. And as everyone stared at him, a thought made its way into his mind, and a look of shock spread across his face as the realization hit him.  
Elenia, on the other hand, couldn't figure out why everyone was looking at that particular Ashon. Sure he was young, and there was something familiar about him, but she didn't know him. And nothing about him made him look important to her. Then the shocked expression crossed his face, and their eyes met... And then he took a step towards her, removing his arm from around Nicki as he did so. That movement caught her sight, and her mouth fell open. 'It can't be...' her mind raced, horrified, and not sure what to think anymore. And then she saw into the Ashons eyes, and scaringly reminded of that one Ashon who had hurt her so much. Those were the same eyes.  
"Mom?" Tevaal said as he approached Elenia carefully. Her hate for the Ashon filled her features as she refused the truth of the Ashon in front of her. Bianca tightened her grip, feeling the Elder was about to explode in violence.  
Tevaal stopped short at the look of disgust on her face. He couldn't believe that his own mother could hate him so much. A hand touched his shoulder then, startling him. He turned to find Cole standing beside him, a strange look in his eyes. Then the former demon leaned in and whispered in his ear. Tevaal listened intently for a minute, then looked at the man beside him and nodded. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he began to concentrate. And when he heard gasps all around him, he knew it had worked. He opened his eyes and again looked at his mother. This time it was a look of shock he got in return, as now she saw her human son in front of her.  
"I... How..." Elenia was at a loss for words. She didn't know what to say, not even what to think. This was all so wrong. It couldn't be true... it just couldn't.  
Tevaal on the other hand felt hurt deep inside his heart. It hurt him that his mom seemed to hate his demon side so much, since that meant he hated half of his very being, half of who he was. It hurt him and it made him angry. And as his memories kept coming back to him now, his anger only grew.  
Nicki had watched the change of Tevaal back to Steve as well as the others. And she could see the distress in his eyes. Actually she had seen it even before. So she stepped to his side again and took his hand, to show him she was by his side no matter what. She hoped she could give him some strength, because she knew he needed it.  
Christopher and Bianca watched the exchange of looks between mother and son warily, both sure that any second a storm could break lose.  
Koran-Dil then softly spoke to the young half-demon: "Tevaal... What you will do is completely your decision, because it's your life and yours only."  
"Don't call him that!" Elenia exclaimed. "His name is Steve you freaky demon."  
Now Tevaal's eyes turned an angry red as he glanced at his mother with pure anger. "My name IS Tevaal and I recommend you to not insult the members of my family again."  
"How can you say that?" Elenia frowned in confusion. "They aren't your family... you are human you belong to us...to me."  
At this Tevaal changed back into his demon form before the eyes of his now pale mother: "I'm one of them as well. They care for me! They accept me the way I am without any disgust because I'm only half Ashon. They are my family, because they care for what I want. They searched for me since the day you escaped my father, but you kept hiding me from them. They only wanted to help me to understand who I really am. But you? You only wanted to have your perfect little son and when I needed you most you were gone! You know what? I'd rather live down here as up there right now, because I feel no need to go back to you after you just came here and killed those I care about. I once loved you, mom, but right now I can't feel like that."  
Those words hit their target, everyone could see that, since Elenia's face became even paler as it had been before. She knew she had made a mistake when returning to the Elders, but that was no reason to talk like that. But Tevaal really didn't care at this moment. He was just hurt and confused as he still remembered only bits of what once was.  
"Enough!" Christopher finally exclaimed, before any more words could be said and any more feelings could get hurt. Then he turned to Odin: "If I let you take her up there, can you assure that she will stay there for as long as it is necessary?"  
Odin nodded at this: "She will be restricted to her rooms and guarded, I'll make sure of that."  
Christopher nodded: "Then do it. Maybe when some time has passed both sides will be able to try to talk to each other again... without fighting each other."  
Odin was about to take the Elder's arm, but Bianca stopped him, still holding Elenia tightly in her grip. "I won't let her go, not until I know she's no danger anymore," she said with a cold voice that almost made Christopher shiver because he felt like a kid again who had done something wrong.  
"Then I suggest you go with us," Odin replied and as the Phoenix nodded he took them both with him, disappearing within blue orb lights.  
Koran-Dil had meanwhile stepped to Tevaal's side and had placed a hand on his shoulder, while his eyes went over to Nicki, who still firmly hold the demon's hand. He smiled, then he said: "I'm glad you found someone who loves you this unconditionally."  
Tevaal turned to Nicki and smiled: "Me, too." But then he turned serious again, looking around the cave. He saw a few piles of ashes and some demons lying on the ground, wounded. He saw some other Ashon and also Julian doing their best to help them. But still for some there had been no chance to survive.  
He shook his head as a few tears fell from his eyes: "I'm sorry... All those hurt, just because of me..."  
"It wasn't your fault," Meehan now said stepping to his side as well.  
Also Batim stepped closer. Standing behind Nicki he said: "You are not responsible for the actions of your mother."  
"I know, but... They..."  
"We'll make sure that those who are wounded will survive," Christopher said, then he turned to the Source, "am I right?"  
Belthazor nodded at this. "I'll go and send my best healer," he said before flaming away. Also Cole went now to the wounded Ashons, trying to help as best as he could.  
"But what about you?" Nicki finally asked, looking at Tevaal expectantly.  
The young Ashon sighed, knowing exactly what she meant, what everyone wanted to know from him now. "I... " he shook his head. Then he turned first to Koran-Dil, then to his brother and then back to the Ashon leader: "I love you all, you are my family. But I also love Nicki and I remember I had a nice job up there, too. So I will go back to live up there, through I will always be Ashon, and I will always come by as often as I can... And I hope you are all fine with it when I call myself Steven Tevaal Moody from now on."  
Everyone smiled as the young man said those words. Christopher and Nicki did so because they were relived that things were solved, and the Ashons because they felt that Steve would be happy with this decision, which was all that mattered to them.  
But then a young Ashon came close to them and stepped in front of the reunited couple. "What about the last potion?" she asked.  
Steve smiled back at her, as he caressed her cheek: "Don't worry Shikara, I still will take the last potion tonight, because I know I need to." All the Ashon nodded agreeing, and also Christopher did, because he knew Steve needed that potion as well.  
"Can I stay, too?" Nicki then asked, surprising everyone. And when she saw the questioning looks she explained: "I never want to leave you alone again."  
Steve turned to Koran-Dil. The leader of the Ashon smiled and nodded: "You are welcome, as one of our family."  
At this Steve hugged Nicki tightly and kissed her full of love, making Batim whistle while Meehan let lose an "Awwww..."  
Koran-Dil meanwhile stepped to Christopher's side: "My king, it would be an honor if you'd stay as well. You did well today, you saved a lot of lives."  
Christopher sighed looking at the piles of ashes again: "I wish I could have saved more. I'm really sorry for your losses."  
The Ashon rose his hands at this, to stop him: "You did more than anyone here had ever dreamt to see happen in their lives. You really are the new king."  
Christopher nodded at this. And as those words sunk in, he suddenly remembered. He remembered that spell he had written to find an answer to his question, the spell that had brought him here. And now that he did remember, he also knew how to get back. So he turned to Koran-Dil again and smiled: "Thanks. And I'd love to stay, I feel honored by your invitation. But I have to go back since I have important business to attend."  
Koran-Dil bowed before him, and Christopher did the same showing his respect to the Ashon leader. Then he said goodbye to the rest of them and took Cole to orb back to the manor.

& & & & &

Before Christopher headed home to the manor, he made a quick stop at another place. "Hey," he greeted when he and Cole appeared in Julian's and Belthazor's cave.  
"Are you alright, brother?" Cole asked worried, looking at the red demon.  
Belthazor smiled: "I'm fine, and so is Julian," he secretly had checked on him a soon as everyone was busy talking to Elenia.  
Only seconds later also the demonic witch shimmered into the cave as well, since the healer had arrived at the Ashon's cave and he wasn't needed there any longer. He was surprised to find the other's there as well.  
"Well," Christopher said, "I just wanted to say goodbye since I'll be going back to the future soon."  
Belthazor nodded at him. "I hate to admit it, but... you really deserve this little sword you have there. You did well today."  
"Thanks," Christopher said, then went over and hugged the red demon.  
The Source felt a little uncomfortable, especially with the amused look on Cole's and Julian's face. But the young witch-Elder's action also warmed his heart.  
"Take care of you," he finally said as Christopher stepped back to hug Julian as well.  
"I will," he said then, before he took Cole's hand to finally orb home with a last 'goodbye'.  
Julian sighed as both had left and turned to the red demon with a raised eyebrow. "Don't you think you should have told them about the book?"  
Belthazor smirked: "No... It's not the time for that, yet..."

& & & & &

_Meanwhile in the future..._  
It was a sad atmosphere, even through the happy news about the new addition to the Halliwell clan had spread around quickly after Michael and Chris had talked. They all knew the young version of Chris had to leave soon.  
"When exactly will you leave?" Matthew asked him, when he and his older version went into the living room where the rest of the family and Michael and Angela were waiting.  
And to every one's surprise Chris had answered after a look at the clock: "It's five minutes to nine so... If Hope did as I asked her to, we have twenty minutes left..."  
"That's not enough..." Piper said, her voice sad and her eyes wet from unshed tears.  
"I don't want you to go..." Kevin whined.  
Chris picked him up and hugged him close. "I know, buddy," he said. But I have to go, or else your brothers and sisters won't exist anymore..." He wasn't sure if the young boy would understand what he tried to say but at least he had to try.  
"I love you," Kevin sobbed.  
Chris smiled sadly as he hugged him even closer: "I love you, too." Then he sat him down again, since there were more goodbyes to say.  
But suddenly he noticed the air shift in the hallway right outside the living room. And the next second he saw four figures appearing. One of them looked a lot like Nicki, just much older. Then there was a demon, who seemed to be Ashon and two kids, a girl and a boy.  
"Andy!" Matthew exclaimed while he ran over to hug the boy. Then he dragged him over saying: "You have to meet the younger version of my dad before he leaves again..."  
'So this is his best friend?' Chris wondered. But before he could ask something the demon transformed into...  
"Steve?" past Chris asked puzzled.  
The man turned to him and smiled embarrassed: "Oh, it seems we're a little too early..."  
"A little," the older Chris said at this and smiled. And his younger version suddenly had to agree with Piper. Twenty minutes were not enough for explaining that!  
But his older version just patted his shoulder. "Say your goodbyes... the rest Steve will explain to you when you get back..."  
Chris nodded, knowing his older version was right. He had not much time left... only sixteen minutes now. And he really wanted to give everyone a proper goodbye, especially his kids, Bianca and his mom and dad...

& & & & &

_In the present...  
_After putting the boys down to sleep, Piper found herself hovering over them, watching them closely. Especially over little Christopher. She knew his older self was an adult, and quite capable of taking care of himself, but he had entered a den of demons with only five others for backup. And she wasn't one of them. Leo had tried to calm her down, to get her to come downstairs with everyone else, and let the children sleep in peace. She'd already woken up Hope, whom Angela had put to bed, once. Phoebe had warned her if she kept this up, she'd make Christopher neurotic, to which Paige replied, he already was. Both sisters found it hard to keep from laughing then, despite Piper glaring at them. But she still refused to leave her son's side, at least until his older self returned.  
Downstairs, everyone else tried to distract themselves with whatever they could. Tom, Veronica, Michael, and Kyle were sitting in the living room, flipping through the channels, hoping to find something good on TV. Meanwhile, Victor and Leo were in the kitchen preparing a late evening meal, and Phoebe, Paige and Angela were talking in the sunroom.  
The TV show they were watching was coming to an end when Tom noticed the time. It was ten minutes to nine. He looked around the living room, Veronica was leaning against him, fidgeting with a cushion. Michael had started flipping channels again, and Kyle kept shifting in his seat. He could just see inside the sunroom, and the three women in there were talking about Michael's and Angela's trip, getting it in full detail. In the kitchen, he could occasionally see Victor or Leo moving around, and they'd already started to bring some food into the dining room. They'd all wanted to wait until everyone got back before they ate, and Tom hoped it would be soon, since he was starving. He couldn't actually remember the last time he'd eaten. No, that wasn't true, he just vaguely remembered getting something to eat at Magic School before coming here, but that hadn't been much. And when they had arrived earlier, he also only got a little snack in the shape of an orange and right now he so didn't feel like eating any more healthy food.  
Eight-fiftyfive. Tom shook his head, wondering what was taking so long. And as he did, he caught sight of white lights in his peripheral vision off to his right. He turned quickly, startling Veronica, as the orbs formed into Christopher and Cole. "They're back!" he yelled, startling Veronica even more, and making everyone run into the living room. Leo did Piper a big service by orbing her straight there, so she didn't have to run all the way from the nursery. Though she had already started when Tom had yelled, and she'd been surprised when she orbed. The second she materialized and saw Christopher, she had him in her arms in a big hug, relief flooding through her to see him safe.  
Tom looked around then, noticing that a few people were missing. "Where are Nicki, Bianca and Odin?" he asked, looking now at Christopher, worried. "And what about Steve?"  
Christopher found himself laughing in spite of himself, when Piper wouldn't let him go. "Mom, it's okay. I'm fine. Really! Please let me breathe," he said, giggling. Piper slowly pulled back, feeling a little foolish that's she'd been so worried, her face turning red.  
Not to let them wait any longer, Cole answered Tom's question. "Odin and Bianca are escorting Elenia up there..."  
"Elenia showed up?" Phoebe said, cutting him off, a worried look on her face, fearing her vision had come true. The others mirrored her expression.  
"Yes, she did. But we were able to stop her before it was too late. Odin and Bianca were just taking her up there to let her cool off. Bianca wanted to make sure Elenia wasn't going to hurt anyone else before she comes back here," Christopher explained. Sighs of relief swept through the room.  
"Yeah, but since my job is done, this also means I have to go back now..." And as soon as Christopher had said that, the emotions in the room turned from joy to sadness.  
"Already?" Piper asked, her voice unbelieving. She didn't want him to leave so fast.  
"I have to, mom... you know that," her son replied, feeling sad himself.  
"But where are Steve and Nicki?" Tom asked again after he had cleared his throat shyly, since he didn't really want to interrupt. But he was still worried about his friends, and so was Veronica who he held close in his arms.  
Christopher laughed, a sheepish smile on his face. "Sorry Tom. Steve and Nicki are fine. They'll both be back in the morning. Steve just wanted to finish some business and Nicki decided to stay with him," Christopher explained. Smiles quickly spread across Tom and Veronica's faces as relief and joy flooded them.  
"So they're coming back?" Tom said, having a hard time not to jump up and down with joy.  
"Yes, they are. You'll see them tomorrow in the morning," Cole answered, an arm around Phoebe's shoulders. The tension that was in the room, finally dissipated, leaving everyone feeling much better.  
That was when the grandfather clock struck nine. Cole turned to look at it, holding up his hand to keep everyone quiet, and a moment later, on the third chime, purple-white lights shone of it. It took Cole an instant to realize the lights were orbs. Everyone turned to watch as the orbs turned into adult Hope.  
"Hope? What are you doing here?" Christopher asked his niece, confused.  
"I'm here, Uncle Christopher, because Dad asked me to delay you fifteen minutes," she said, emphasizing "uncle" in a teasing manner.  
"Is everything alright?" Piper asked, getting worried about Chris this time.  
"Everything is fine, Grandma," Hope said before giving her grandmother a hug. "Dad just wanted a chance to say goodbye to everyone." Piper let out a sigh of relief, making everyone smile in understanding.  
"Well, I guess, given Chris only asked for a fifteen minutes-delay, you two can't stay for dinner, right?" Leo asked Christopher and Hope.  
A mischievous grin touched the latter's lips. "Oh, I can stay. It's Christopher who has to go," she said, suppressing a grin.  
"I have a better idea. Why don't you go back, and tell Chris he has an extra half hour, while I have something to eat?" he tried, a mischievous grin of his own touching his lips.  
"No can do. You have to go back. You've been here long enough," she said to her uncle. Then turning to her grandfather she said: "And, unfortunately, I can't stay either. There's been enough crossing of the times in the last week. And though I'd love to have dinner with you all, we actually just finished eating ourselves." She turned back to Christopher and added. "... which means there are plenty of leftovers for you when you get back."  
"Well? What did you have for dinner?" he asked her, feeling rather hungry all of a sudden.  
"You'll find out when you get back. And you have about eight minutes," she said, looking at the clock.  
"I guess this is goodbye, then," Piper said, holding back tears. Christopher gave her another hug, holding on a little longer than necessary.  
"Well, not really. I mean, I'm still... Where am I?" he asked, looking around for his younger self.  
"Safe and sound and sleeping peacefully in bed," Piper said, smiling up at him.  
"Oh. Can I go check on him before I go? I always enjoy seeing Christopher so small and helpless," Hope said, teasingly. Everyone in the room laughed.  
Piper smiled at her granddaughter and nodded. "Of course. Just please don't wake him. Or Wyatt. Or yourself," she said, wincing.  
"Yeah, Piper already woke you up once tonight," Phoebe said, ratting her out. Piper gave her an "I'll-get-you-for-that" look, and everyone cracked up again.  
"Well, I think you better do it quick, Christopher only has six minutes left," Cole pointed out.  
"And speaking of, I still have one question," Piper started, looking at her son. "Did you figure out what it was you came here to do?"  
Christopher took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, I did. I finally understand what my destiny holds. And since I do, I also do know how to get back," he said, looking around.  
"Good, 'cause writing time-travel spells isn't my forte," Paige joked, giving him a wink and a smile.  
"Well, I guess it's up to the attic then," Christopher said, looking around at everyone.  
"With a quick stop in the nursery," Hope said, looping her arm in Christopher's. With everyone following behind, they made the short journey upstairs. Stopping a moment in the nursery, they made it up to the attic just in time.  
"Well, this is it," Christopher said. "I'll miss all of you."  
"We'll miss you too, sweetie," Piper said, giving him a quick hug. He handed the sword over to her (which he had somehow still held in his hand), than turned to Paige.  
"Take care of yourself Christopher," she said, and before she could get away, he gave her a hug.  
"I will, Aunt Paige," he said, then straightened up and took a deep breath. But before he could begin the spell, Phoebe threw her arms around him, and hugged him, too.  
"You didn't think I'd let you leave without getting a hug, did you?" she teased, then let him go. And also Leo gave his son a hug and then patted his shoulder, his eyes shining with pride.  
"Thank you, everyone," he said then, before turning to Hope. "You ready?"  
"I'll be right behind you," she said, encouraging him to get going.  
"Okay, here it goes..."  
_"Return me now, to whence I came,  
The past and future, still the same.  
My quest for truth had been fulfilled,  
Send me home with my new skills."  
_Lights started circling him as he said the last word. Faster and faster they went until he was completely shrouded by them, then he, and the lights disappeared. A second later the lights returned. These ones turned slower and slower until they disappeared, finally revealing Chris, standing in the spot Christopher had just left.  
The Elder-witch looked at all the faces staring at him, but before he could say anything he felt a pair of arms thrown around him. "Glad you had a good trip, dad..." Hope said to his ear. Then he pulled away and said: "I should be going back but... before I came here I made a stop to get you this, because I thought you'd like to know." And with this she gave the slightly confused and now frowning Chris a small picture in which a crib was shown with Wyatt and Julia on each side. In the crib was lying a cute baby-girl, and on the headboard of the crib the name Polly was engraved. The name of his first niece.  
"How did you know that I..."  
"You knew about it?" Hope asked smiling. Then she explained simply: "I'm your daughter..."  
Chris shook his head. "Thanks," he muttered smiling widely as he again looked at the picture. Then he gave it back to her. "But take this back before anyone finds this and spoils this wonderful little gift."  
Hope nodded at this: "I knew you'd say that." Then she hugged him again and with a last good bye she disappeared within purple orb lights.  
"Wow..." Paige muttered suddenly breaking everyone in the room out of the stupor. And seconds later, Chris was feeling like smashed by the arms of his mother and aunts.  
"It's ok... It's ok..." he mumbled, "I'm glad to be back, too."  
"Girls, let him breath," Leo said laughing. But as soon as the sisters let go of his son he pulled him into a hug himself. "It's good to have you back where you belong. We truly missed you."  
"Thanks dad," Chris muttered. "And you are right... this IS were I belong." They hugged each other for a moment longer before Chris finally pulled away. "But now? Where are my wife and my daughter?"  
"Bianca is up there but she should be back any minute," Cole explained.  
And Piper added: "Hope is sleeping."  
Chris nodded at this smiling: "Not for much longer... See you downstairs." And with that he orbed away.  
"But Chris you just..." Piper called after him. Then she sighed before finishing: "... came back..."  
Leo hugged her from behind and kissed her on the head. "Come on... let's go down and have something to eat. Chris will be back soon." Piper nodded defeated and so they all went down, Cole ahead of them, and Piper being the last one, closing the attic door. But no sooner she had done that, she heard soft cries from the nursery. Apparently Chris had not only woken up Hope but also his brothers...

& & & & &

Chris meanwhile had orbed to the upper world, Hope safely cradled in his arms. Oh, how he had missed her, well this little-her. It had been nice to spend time with her, all grown up, and also to spend time with his other kids, but... He wanted to see her grow up and that's why he was glad that she hadn't grown too much in the last week, as silly as this may sound.  
At first, when he had picked her out of bed, she had whined a little. But when she had realized her daddy was there she had smiled sleepy and giggled. Now she was almost asleep again, but Chris didn't mind as long as she was there.  
Wyatt on the other hand had woken up soon after he had orbed in. Apparently he had sensed him. The boy was out of bed in a second and hugged Chris by his legs. Actually he even didn't want to let Chris go again. Only when he had promised to be back in a short moment after picking up Bianca, he had agreed. And while Chris had orbed up there, Wyatt had woken Christopher, too... after all his younger brother couldn't miss that, could he?  
Meanwhile Chris was now running through the passage ways of the Elder-world, heading to where he had sensed his wife. And then he found her and froze in place, amazed by seeing her again after such a long time.  
Bianca just talked to Odin who came out of one of the rooms. Elenia's room, but Chris didn't notice that. "You really think she's safe in there, there is no way to escape from there?"  
"Don't worry," Odin said, "she won't be able to leave." Then he saw the man standing a few feet away, looking at him with wide eyes. "Christopher?" he asked.  
But Chris paid no attention to him. He went over to Bianca, while shifting Hope so that he held her with one arm. Then he grabbed Bianca by the neck and pulled her close to kiss her with so much passion and love as if he hadn't seen her in years, instead of days.  
Odin first frowned at this. Then he smiled and patted the young man's shoulder, saying: "Welcome home, Chris." But Chris didn't let himself be disturbed, so shaking his head the Elder walked away to give them their privacy... well as much privacy you could have in that place.  
After a few more minutes, the couple finally separated. "Wow," Bianca muttered, "welcome back sweetie."  
"I missed you," he replied. "I mean, you've been there, but... I missed you, you know?" He smiled and kissed her on the forehead.  
She smiled back at him, nodding: "I guess... Must have been confusing."  
At this Chris chuckled: "You have no idea..."

& & & & &

Odin went to an open area with a fountain in the middle, surrounded by some columns. There at the edge of the fountain John was sitting with Silas and Jeremiah, talking quietly. And Rafael was there as well, though he sat a little aside, still feeling kind of out of place. Still he, too, wanted to know if all turned out good with his charge.  
When John noticed the other Elder approaching, he jumped up: "Odin? What happened?"  
Odin smiled as he went over to them, pushing the whitelighter down again before sitting by his side: "Steve is safe... Christopher did quite a good job down there. And Nicki as well. She and Steve are still down there because he needs to drink one final potion, but after that he'll come back."  
John sighed relieved: "Those are good news."  
"What about Elenia?" Jeremiah asked. He had heard what happened from Silas and was now worried, too.  
"She attacked us down there," Odin explained, his voice sad. "But we could stop her and now she's in her rooms, which are guarded by several spells and I also assigned one of the younger Elders to have an eye on her."  
Silas nodded: "I'm sorry I couldn't make her see reason."  
But Odin shook his head: "There is nothing to be sorry about, you did what you could. Now only time will tell if she can learn to accept all this... or not..."

& & & & &

_Meanwhile in the future..._  
"It's about time..." were the first words Christopher heard when he appeared in the manor's living room. Those words, spoken by his mom, and her slightly angry look were enough to make Christopher wince, knowing he was in big trouble.  
"Hey there," he greeted them, waving shyly, not sure what to make out of this that not only his whole family, but also Steve's and Michael's had been there. Chris meanwhile had a feeling of deja vu.  
"Have you ever listened to me when I talked to you? Have you completely forgotten about personal gain and the danger of that?" Piper ranted. And when Christopher was about to protest she added: "You are so grounded young man... you won't leave your room for 4 weeks except for dinner and work, got it?"  
"Yes Mom," he said to this, knowing full well that she won't get through with this. But she wouldn't be Piper if she wouldn't at least try. "I'm sorry I messed up the spell, but in the end everything went well, didn't it?"  
"It did," Steve now said and went over to Christopher's side. "I owe you a lot. Thanks for helping me," he said as he gave the young witch-Elder a hug.  
"You're welcome... After all you were one of the best teachers I had... So I had to save you to safe my grades," Christopher joked making most of those present chuckle.  
Meanwhile Hope appeared within her purple orb lights and calmly went to her mother's side, not wanting to interrupt any argument.  
"Yeah, you did well in the past," Piper then admitted, "and I'm sure Chris enjoyed that little trip as well, but still you are grounded."  
"I know..." Christopher replied with a smile. Then he turned to Chris who smiled knowingly at him. He sighed, before saying: "Ok... if you really want me to, I'll take the sword on my birthday."  
Chris nodded at this then smiled: "I know... But..."  
"But?" Christopher asked confused. He had expected his older brother to be happy, to be relieved or something like that. But why was he smiling now, in this weird way?  
"But... you won't have to do it... yet..." the Elder-witch said.  
"What? Why?" Christopher, and also Wyatt, Piper and Prisca asked. After all Christopher had been through, none of them understood why he should now wait longer for this.  
"Well..." Chris said, smiling widely. "You already decided that your first knight shall be your brother. But I know for a fact that Wyatt will be pretty busy around your birthday already and also some month later, so I thought I postpone this a year or two..."  
"But why???" Christopher asked, while knowing smiles appeared on the others' faces.  
"Well that's something Wyatt should tell you..." Chris said grinning.  
At this Christopher's eyes turned to his brother in wonder. Wyatt smiled, holding Julia firmly with one arm. "Well," he said turning first to his fiancée and then back to his little brother, "you're going to be an uncle soon..."  
And when Christopher still didn't seem to get it, Julia added. "I'm pregnant."  
At this a huge smile spread over Christopher's face and he rushed over to both of them, pulling them into a big hug. "I can't believe that... I'm so happy for you!"  
Everyone else in the room observed that scene with a smile. Michael stepped to Chris side then: "Thanks for doing that for them. I know you were looking forward to give away that responsibility of the sword."  
But Chris just smiled at him: "They deserve it... and don't be too happy about it, because this means one or two more years as my first knight as well..." Michael grinned and then nodded.  
Meanwhile Christopher had let go of his brother and future sister-in-law, and turned to his mother: "Well Hope mentioned some dinner-left-overs... I hope you have a lot left because I'm hungry like a wolf..." Piper laughed at that, before leading her son to the kitchen.

& & & & &

_Back in our time..._  
When Chris orbed with Bianca and Hope back to the living room, he wasn't surprised to see that everyone was still there, including Michael, Angela, Veronica, Tom and Kyle. "Hey there," he greeted.  
Wyatt was the first on his feet and went over to hug his legs. "I really missed you," he muttered to him.  
"I know," Chris replied and ruffled his hair, while Piper and Leo watched that scene with a smile on their faces. Christopher through was already sleeping again on his mother's arms.  
"Have you really been in the future?" Phoebe now asked, her voice filled with excitement.  
Chris grinned at that and then nodded: "I was... But NO! I can't tell you anything about what I have seen and heard... Future consequences, remember? And believe me when I say: For nothing in this world I would spoil THAT future!"  
"So it was a good future then?" Bianca asked full of hope.  
The Elder-witch nodded at this: "Even better..."  
"Well, that's good to know..." Victor said smiling, and Chris nodded again, smiling, too, while he sat down and pulled his wife in his lab.  
"Oh come one..." Phoebe whined, "there must be something you can tell us about your trip."  
"No Phoebe, Chris is right," Leo now said in full Elder-mode, "every little bit he tells us could change the future. And I'm sure you don't want that." At this the empath crossed her arms over her chest and pouted, but of course she knew Leo was right.  
Chris meanwhile had to chuckle. Then he explained to everyone' surprise: "Well actually I'm even supposed to tell you a few little things. Messages from your older selves, to be precise."  
"Really?" Michael now asked.  
Chris nodded: "Yes, for example I should tell you to get used to the fact that one way or another you're part of this family, too. You may not have any magical power, but you are my best friend, so... Just get used to it."  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Angela asked.  
The Elder-witch grinned: "That you have to find out on your own... But you Angy... You don't worry so much. All your dreams will come true one day." At this Angela thanked him smiling.  
"And what message do you have for me?" Phoebe asked getting all hyper again.  
Chris chuckled, knowing that her aunt would get the most weird message of all of them. "You asked me to tell you to buy lots of hair-bands and stuff like that..."  
At this empath frowned, deeply in thought about the meaning of this message. But Cole somehow knew what this message could mean so he smiled and hugged her close.  
"And Uncle Cole," Chris then said. And when Cole looked at him he smiled and said: "You asked me to tell you that you'll still be good in the future..."  
"Of course he will," Phoebe said, looking at Chris with a strange expression, before she turned frowning to her husband. "Or did you doubt it?"  
Cole smiled at her and shook his head: "No, but still it's good to know..." Then he pulled her close and kissed her.  
Chris meanwhile turned to Paige and Kyle: "Oh Paige, you should make sure to never ever wash your red underwear with Kyle's white socks. And you Kyle..." he grinned at the man, then said: "Stop thinking and just do it."  
Paige looked at her boyfriend frowning. "What does that mean?"  
But Kyle just looked at Victor with a smile and then said to her: "I'll tell you later..."  
"Grandpa, you better get used to orbing..."  
"Oh well," Victor said, rolling his eyes. He had no idea what the future held for him but assumed that his grandchildren would love to orb him around sooner or later.  
"And mom and dad... Your message to yourself is that you can be proud of the great kids you have," Chris said to them.  
Leo pulled his wife close: "We already are, son... we already are."  
"And what message do you have for me?" Bianca then asked putting her arms closer around him.  
Chris smiled: "I am supposed to tell you to not be mad at me that I can't tell you certain things. But I know it won't work, you'll still be mad at me when the time comes... at least at first. But then you'll be happy."  
"Is it something good you are talking about this cryptically?" she tried to get more information.  
Chris smiled thinking of Liam. "It is honey... it is..."  
Do you have a message for us, too?" Tom then asked.  
But now Chris had to shake his head: "Unfortunately I didn't meet you in that time I was in the future. But don't worry you are alive and well... You just had been on a school trip." Then he turned around and asked: "Where is Steve? I'm supposed to tell him that all will go well and he made the right decision."  
Now a collective sigh was heard from everyone and Piper then said: "That is a long story... But now we all should eat something. Through as we heard you already had dinner, we are all starving here."  
Chris grinned at that and nodded, moving with the others over to the dining room. And as they all sat at the table, talking and laughing, he felt that things wouldn't change too much in 23 years of time...

& & & & &

Steve, in his demonic form, took a deep breath as he looked at everyone gathered around. Nicki was sitting nearby with Batim and Meehan, his eyes lingering on them longer than on the rest of his extended family, feelings of wholeness and acceptance filling him. He knew this was it, the last potion. Everything he'd been through in the last couple of years had all lead to this. And now that it was almost over, it felt somewhat anticlimactic.  
He took one last look at Nicki before turning to Koran-Dil. The Ashon leader held the last potion in his hands, patiently waiting for Steve to prepare himself mentally for its effects. Steve took one more deep breath than reached for the potion. Koran-Dil gladly handed it over to him. He touched the potion bottle to his lips, readying to drink it, when Nicki jumped to her feet.  
"Wait!" she called, moving quickly to his side.  
"Nicki, you promised you wouldn't interrupt," he said, feeling a little disappointed.  
"I know, but... I want to be with you, by your side when you take it. We're partners in life, and I believe we should do this together." Nicki looked into his eyes as she said this, the love and compassion they had for each other clearly seen in the gaze. She reached up and caressed his cheek, a gentle smile touching her lips. Steve let out a sigh he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He reached up and took her hand from his cheek, and kissed it.  
"You're right. We should do this together." And with that, among the awes of some of the Ashon around them, Steve downed the potion.

A couple minutes later, Steve shook his head free of the cobwebs those potions always gave him. He looked up to see Nicki staring down at him, eyes wide, a look of relief slowly shaping her features as he came to. Meehan and Batim were on either side of her, the same look on their faces.  
"I'm alright," he said, then pulled himself into a sitting position. A smile formed on Nicki's lips, and taking his face in both her hands, she gently kissed him. Whistles and hurrahs exploded from all around them, making them pull apart to laugh. Still laughing, Nicki leaned in, and gave him one final, quick kiss before getting up and helping him to his feet. He pulled her into a tight hug then, glad she had been there for him. After releasing her, he turned to Meehan and hugged her as well, happiness swelling inside him. Then it was Batim's turn. He hugged his half-brother, feeling better than he'd ever felt. Then, pulling back, he looked at his friends and family, and smiled.  
Suddenly a cry went up and everyone turned to the source. A teenage Ashon boy was standing on a rock, shouting with joy. "Let's party!" he was saying, bringing laughter from the younger crowd, and making the older ones shake their heads at his enthusiasm. But with the final potion taken, it was, indeed, time to party. So then the Ashon gathered round to start their traditional dance, when a loud and strange sound could be heard. Again, everyone turned to the source. This time it was another youth standing at the mouth of an alcove. He had just turned on a stereo, and was blasting Prince's "Party Like It's 1999". All the young Ashon in the cave took that as their cue, and, hijacking the traditional celebration, lined up and started a very non-traditional, human-style dance.

* * *

_(Chapter 11 written by Kirianna Ledräen and Chrissy.W.x)_

* * *

_**Note: That's it for this part of the story. We are sorry that this time we can't give you a date when Story 15 will start since we are still in the process of writing. We can only tell you that this story will be posted, but we can't tell you when. So we hope whenever that will be that we will see you as reader again... Thanks for all your support**. _


End file.
